Harry Potter and the Power Unknown
by Spcebaby
Summary: When an unexpected visitor comes to Privet Drive, Harry faces his most dangerous year yet. Does he really have power the Dark Lord knows not after all? OotP spoilers.. Chapter 14 is FINALLY up!
1. The Unexpected Visit

**--Chapter One: An Unexpected Visit--**

Harry Potter awoke the morning before his 16th birthday with a slight headache and shivering with cold. For two summers in a row, he had not one decent night's sleep, and it was beginning to take a toll on him. Last summer all he could dream about was Cedric and the graveyard; he would hear the high, cold voice of Voldemort telling his servant to "kill the spare" and then watch Voldemort, more powerful and terrible than ever, rise from the steaming cauldron. His voice would continuously echo in Harry's ears:

_Bow to death Harry. It might even be painless._

However, this summer's nightmares, if possible, were even worse. Every night he would watch his godfather Sirius fall repeatedly in to the abyss of the black veil on the dais in the Department of Mysteries. Each time he tried to reach for Sirius' hand and pull him back, a blinding pain would strike his body and he once again would feel as if he was locked in the coils of a creature with red eyes, unable to speak and unable to pull back his godfather. The high-pitched laughter of Voldemort filled his ears, as always, but even worse was the shriek of triumph from Bellatrix Lestrange. Harry, in his dreams and in reality, wanted nothing more than to curse her into oblivion, but he could never get to her before she stuck Sirius and caused him to fall beyond the veil. Then he would wake, find himself tangled in sheets and soaked in sweat, and wipe the tears running down his face. Then his endless guilt for causing all these events to happen would consume him again, causing him to want nothing more than to go back to sleep forever and never have to face his guilt again. He remembered everything from Snape's worst memory to not practicing occlumency to his weakness for heroics. Every single horrible memory of his fifth year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry would come rushing back as soon as he opened his eyes. Sirius' death had caused a gaping hole to form in Harry's heart, for he had never experienced a loss this bad. He came close to feeling this miserable whenever he would practice the Patronus Charm with Professor Lupin in his third year, when he would pass out from hearing his mother's screams as a dementor drew nearer to him. But truly, Harry was so young when Voldemort murdered his parents that he did not remember much of anything, nor did he experience the pain after such a loss. But now…

The weather at Number Four Privet Drive seemed to be reflecting Harry's mood. Unlike the heat of the previous summer, most of Surrey had been rainy and cool for the last few weeks. Harry sat up in bed and put his glasses on, then wiped sweat off his brow with his sleeve. Sirius had been the closest thing to a brother and a father that Harry had ever known, and the shock of losing him was more than Harry could bear; due to growing up with the Dursley's, he never received any sort of parental love or guidance until he met Sirius. In all fairness, it was not until Harry realized Sirius was wrongly accused of the betrayal of Harry's parents that Harry began to accept him and love him. Harry's heart ached with the fact that he never told Sirius how much he cared for him, how much he appreciated all Sirius had done for him.

As instructed, Harry wrote the Order at least every three days to assure everyone he was being treated decently by the Dursley's, but Harry hardly read letters from his friends, because even though he knew they wanted to help and comfort him, he felt they would not understand his depression. He still had not told them about the prophecy. He just wanted to be left alone, but when he was alone all he could think of was Sirius, and his pain was not healing. Dumbledore was even writing to him almost daily, which was a nice change from ignoring him as Dumbledore did the previous summer. But even Dumbledore's words brought little comfort to Harry.

_Dear Harry,_

_I know you are feeling alone and I know you are secluding yourself from everyone. We all want to help you, and we want to get you out of Privet Drive for the rest of the summer. But you have to try, Harry. You have to begin to heal yourself before we can help you. I will not push you, but you must try. Sirius would have wanted you to live, to love and be happy. I will not allow anyone to take you away from your aunt and uncle's unless you are ready to do these things. You must be strong; there is much learn and much to live for._

_Professor Dumbledore_

Harry read this most recent letter of Dumbledore's again while sitting up in bed with a feeling of mixed guilt and anger. He was sick of all of Dumbledore's riddles. Dumbledore still didn't get it! How could he possibly know how Harry was feeling? Sirius' death was his own fault, no matter what anyone told him, and Harry knew that even if his friends and Dumbledore were ready to help him, Harry would never forgive himself.

'_Much to live for?' _Harry thought. _How could I have much to live for when I already know how my life is going to end?_

Harry's heart was so burdened with guilt over the death of Sirius that he barely cared about what Dumbledore told him about his destiny. The prophecy Harry heard in Dumbledore's office after Sirius' death still lingered in his mind, but Harry no longer cared what Voldemort was doing, or where he was. He was not nicking newspapers and lying in hydrangea bushes trying to hear the news. The whole wizarding world new Voldemort was back, that Dumbledore and Harry _had_ been telling the truth, and Harry seemed to be the only one in his world who did not care. He really did not care about anything anymore.

Harry's aunt, Petunia Evans Dursley, was the first to notice something was wrong. Harry did not share information about his world with the Dursley's, mostly because they didn't want to hear it in the first place. He also thought they would especially keep their distance after being threatened by Remus Lupin, Mad-Eye Moody, Nymphadora Tonks and Arthur Weasley at the end of the school year. But they had hardly seen Harry since he came home from Hogwarts since he was content with just staying in his room all the time. In fact, Harry felt so miserable that, remembering his life before he knew he was a wizard, the cupboard under the stairs didn't seem so bad after all.

"What's wrong with you? You haven't eaten a bite in almost 24 hours," said Aunt Petunia as she knocked on Harry's door in the late afternoon.

"I don't feel well," Harry replied coldly.

Petunia opened the door and came into the room. Harry had the lights off and he was lying on his bed with the curtains shut, and even though it was the middle of the day his room was almost pitch black.

"Do you mind?" Harry told his aunt as she entered.

"You haven't been up and about for a while."

"Well, I thought you and Uncle Vernon would be happy about that. You're always complaining about me when I'm around. You never wanted me in the first place, so I'm making it easy on you," Harry said.

Petunia blinked, and a strange expression fluttered across her face as Harry looked at her. Harry thought for a second that she actually looked hurt by his statement, but she recovered quickly.

"I would have thought you would be a little more grateful. I know that crazy headmaster of yours told you why you have to stay here. Believe me; it would have been better for us if he never dumped you on our doorstep. If you are so desperate to leave then so be it." Petunia then stormed out of the room, slamming Harry's door behind her.

Harry simply rolled his eyes and turned over on his bed. This was the latest scuffle with any of his relatives since Dudley noticed the _I must not tell lies_ scar on the back of Harry's hand one morning. Dudley, forgetting his fear of magical retaliation, ridiculed Harry until Harry lost his temper and caused Dudley's glass of orange juice to shatter. Now, lying in bed, he tried to subdue his emotions, so he took a deep breath, closed his eyes and attempted to get some sleep.

He woke a few hours later to the sound of his bedroom door closing again. On his desk was a plate with a small salad and a chicken leg. Harry was initially shocked to receive so much food, but Aunt Petunia apparently did not want him to starve to death, even though she was still angry enough not to talk to him. Harry had no energy to be grateful, but he sat down and tried to eat all the same. He took a bite of the salad and then began to eat the chicken, but three bites into it his stomach lurched and he realized he couldn't eat. Passed the point of caring, Harry went back to sleep, hoping he wouldn't dream.

At two in the morning, Harry sat up with a jolt. Sweat covered his body as it always, but this time it was not his dreams that woke him. He had felt a pain in his scar so powerful it had caused him to wake, and he hadn't felt that kind of pain since Voldemort possessed him on the atrium floor of the Ministry of Magic. His eyes watered as he fumbled for his glasses and the switch to the lamp on his nightstand. He got out of bed and held hid breath as he slowly drew the curtains back enough for his eyes to see the street. Could Voldemort be here?

_Great,_ he thought gloomily. _Another great start to what will undoubtedly be another great birthday._

After months of not caring whether he lived or died, suddenly facing the prospect that he might be face to face with Voldemort once again was enough for Harry to change his mind. His instinct always told him to be ready to fight, to defend his life.

However, when Harry did not see anything outside his house after about ten minutes, he began to close the curtains and allowed relief to spread through him. Suddenly, an explosion of blinding hot pain surged through his scar. He fell to his knees with a yell and knocked the lamp sitting on his desk onto the ground with a crash. He thought he saw, in his mind's eye, two flashes of green light, which made his stomach and his heart contract at the same time. Harry, through his pain, barely heard the shouts and the footsteps coming from his aunt and uncle's bedroom.

"POTTER! What the bloody hell is going on in there? It's two in the ruddy morning! I swear you're going to get it, boy!" screamed Uncle Vernon at the top of his lungs. When he received no answer, Vernon opened the door to reveal his nephew writhing in pain on the floor.

Harry retched as the pain in his scar increased, and did not notice his relatives entering the room. Everything was beginning to blur, and there was a ringing in his ears. He felt close to unconsciousness. Aunt Petunia rushed forward and knelt next to Harry as he collapsed. She rolled him over on his back, his head in her lap, and looked up at her husband, who looked confused yet unconcerned. Harry's cousin Dudley had now entered the room as well.

"What's wrong with him?" asked Dudley. Dudley looked just as frightened as he did the night the dementors attacked, but then he had been afraid of anything even remotely connected to magic since he ended up with a pig's tail at age 11.

Harry clutched his forehead as the pain worsened. "He's here," he whispered to his aunt, willing himself not to pass out. "He's found me. I'm sorry…" Harry trailed off.

"Who's here, Harry?" Petunia began to look frightened. Harry grabbed her arm and tried to pull himself closer to her. "Tell me, Harry? Who has found you?"

"Voldemort."


	2. Promises

**--Chapter Two: Promises --**

Wide eyed, Petunia stared at Harry in her arms and then looked up at her husband.

"That crackpot who killed your parents? He's here? In the house?" asked Uncle Vernon.

"Not in the house," Harry answered in a hoarse voice. "He's in the street. Outside the house." The pain was surging through his body.

"I knew you would endanger my family, boy!" yelled Uncle Vernon suddenly, causing even Dudley to jump. Harry, through his intense hurt, could not believe his ears. "I want you out of this house! If he wants you, he can have you! Did you hear me? I WANT YOU OUT! I want you to…"

"BE QUIET VERNON!" yelled Petunia.

Everyone in the room looked at Harry's aunt with shocked looks on their faces.

"Vernon, when we took him in we agreed to protect him. We talked about this last summer. I will not let him out of this house except for school when I know his life is in danger. Look at him! He couldn't leave the house in this condition anyway! He wouldn't stand a chance on his own!"

"I don't care…" Vernon began, but at one look at his wife, his voice faltered.

Petunia's face was set. Somehow, Harry knew she would win this fight and for the second time in his 15 years of knowing her, Harry was glad Petunia was his mother's sister. His pain subsided almost immediately. He stared in disbelief at his aunt; after all the years of harsh remarks and put-downs about his parents, Harry realized she was defending him, and that she cared about him when it came down to important matters like life and death.

Vernon, dumbstruck at his wife's outburst, looked furious, but she ignored him and turning to Dudley said, "Dudley, get me a cool washcloth from the bathroom please." Dudley left the room without a word, and Petunia turned to look at Harry.

"Harry, are you alright now? Can you stand?"

"I think so," he said as he struggled to his feet. He still felt weak. "I don't feel much pain anymore; it just stopped. But I think he may still be outside." Aunt Petunia helped him to the bed and sat him down.

"How do you know he is here, Harry? Did you see him?" asked Aunt Petunia.

"Not initially," Harry answered. "I felt a sharp pain in my scar, which woke me up. I got out of bed and went to the window, pulled open the curtain and looked outside. I didn't really expect to see him, and when I didn't I turned to get back into bed. Then my scar began to hurt so bad I fell to my knees, but before I did I looked up and saw him looking up at me from the street." Harry then stood up so fast Aunt Petunia started.

"Harry, where are you going?" Petunia asked.

"I have to go downstairs and see if he's still out there!" Harry said as he raced from the room. He ran past Dudley, who was holding a washcloth and looked beside himself with fright, so fast that Dudley had to stand close against the wall to avoid being knocked over.

"But…" Petunia began, but Harry was past the hall and down the stars. She, Uncle Vernon and Dudley followed Harry and watched him slowly part the curtains in the living room to look outside.

"Do you see anything?" Uncle Vernon asked harshly.

But Harry couldn't answer.

"Harry?"

Harry's eyes were wide with mingled surprise and fear as he found himself staring into the face of the man who had haunted his nightmares for six years. Lord Voldemort was standing outside the living room window, staring inside directly at Harry.

Aunt Petunia began to scream, but Uncle Vernon clapped a hand over her mouth and prevented her from rushing to Harry. Vernon then moved forward and threw Harry away from the window and closed the curtains, but he knew the damage was already done.

"Well, boy, you are going to be the end of my family just as you were the end of your parents," Vernon said nastily. "It's over now, Petunia, he's seen us."

"Wait," said Harry, and he moved for the window again.

"What the hell are you doing? He'll punch through the window to get to you!" yelled Uncle Vernon, and he moved to grab Harry's arm again.

Harry dodged out of the way and said, "He wouldn't need to. He's just about the most powerful wizard in the world and he could just blow the house apart." Aunt Petunia gasped at this statement. "But I think if he was going to he would have already. I don't think he can see me."

The Dursley's looked puzzled, but Harry moved to the window, held his breath, and pulled the curtains open again. He looked right into the red eyes of Voldemort and closed his eyes waiting for the attack. But it didn't come. Voldemort simply stared at him.

Comprehension dawned suddenly as Harry realized Voldemort seemed to be looking _through_ him, not at him. As he turned to tell the Dursley's this, he winced slightly as a quick but sharp pain hit his scar, though not at all like the pain had he felt earlier. He had felt Voldemort's anger, and then he heard a loud CRACK. Harry turned and Voldemort was gone. He breathed a sigh of relief.

"I was right; he couldn't see me. He didn't seem to see any of us, or he would have tried to come inside." Harry was thoroughly confused, and apparently, so was everyone else.

"I thought you said he saw you from the street," said Uncle Vernon in a tone of forced calm.

"I thought he did, but he must have just been looking up. I thought he would be able to feel me though the pain in my scar, but I guess not."

Harry heard a swooshing noise and looked up to see an owl soaring through the fireplace. Harry recognized it as Errol, the Weasley's barn owl, and grabbed the letter as it fell towards his feet. He ripped the parchment in his rush to open the letter as the owl swooped back up the fireplace. He was paying no attention to Uncle Vernon's now very familiar tirade about owls as disappointment washed over him. He expected more information just as he had expected last summer after the dementor attack, but this letter was very similar in content as that letter.

_Harry,_

_Dumbledore knows what just happened. We don't know how he found you, but Dumbledore trusted that he would not be able to harm you, which is why Dumbledore is not there. He will be writing to you shortly. DO NOT LEAVE YOUR AUNT AND UNCLE'S._

_Arthur Weasley_

Harry sighed, too exhausted to be angry, and crumpled the torn parchment in his hand. He looked up at the clock on the mantelpiece, which now read 2:45 and then turned to his frightened-looking relatives. Harry opened his mouth to say something to them when he saw a flash of flame above his head. Uncle Vernon and Dudley yelped and jumped out of the way, but the flame had vanished, and another letter fluttered to the ground with a golden feather. Harry was startled to receive a letter from Dumbledore through Fawks since they both had been using Harry's owl Hedwig to communicate with each other.

_Harry,_

_I didn't expect Voldemort to find your location so soon after his return, and his actions have now changed everything. I am assuming that since Fawks has found you, nothing serious has happened and Voldemort has not actually discovered you or your family. In that case, the ancient magic protecting you in your house is still in effect, and it is very powerful._

Harry remembered something from what seemed like ages ago about the Secret-Keeper Charm in which Voldemort could have looked in the window of his parent's hiding place but still would not be able to see them.

_However, it seems something or someone has clued him into the fact that you live somewhere in the vicinity, a fact that has been guarded since the death of your parents. I will tell you more soon, but now I am sending someone to get you out of the house. Stay there until the escort arrives._

_Professor Dumbledore_

"They are coming to get me," Harry said, more to himself than anyone, but Aunt Petunia seemed skeptical.

"Who is coming to get you?" she asked with slight concern on her face.

"The headmaster of my school is sending an escort to take me from the house, for your protection as well as mine, I suppose," Harry said.

"Where are they taking you?" asked Uncle Vernon, trying (and failing) to hide his delight that Harry was leaving the house.

"I don't know. Professor Dumbledore didn't say. The letter that came with this feather was from him." He held up Fawks' golden feather.

"Why was there a flash of fire when that letter came?" Uncle Vernon inquired curiously.

Harry tried to hide his smirk. He thought Uncle Vernon might approve of letters-via-phoenix rather than owls, even if the flame startled him. "It was brought by Dumbledore's phoenix, Fawks. When he delivers letters he just flashes and leaves behind the note with…"

Uncle Vernon cut him off. "It was brought by what?"

"A Phoenix. You know... a bird of fire that is reborn from…" Harry began.

"I know what a phoenix is, you stupid boy. I thought they didn't exist."

Harry frowned at his uncle. "Well, you also thought wizards didn't exist. It's amazing how you can learn new things everyday," Harry replied sarcastically. He was surprised to find his temper rising so quickly.

Uncle Vernon glared at him dangerously, and then continued, "What did the letters say, then?"

"I told you. The first one was from my friend Ron's dad saying not to leave the house until I hear from Professor Dumbledore, and the second was from Dumbledore saying he was sending an escort to take me out of the house." Harry answered.

"Well, I hope they come for you soon. You are more trouble then you are worth… ruddy owls everywhere, your constant sulking and backtalk... Marge was right; we should have taken you to the orphanage the moment you were placed on our doorstep, or better yet just left you in the street!"

Harry began to shake as his temper reached the boiling point. The lights flickered and some of the china in the kitchen cupboards began to clatter.

"Look," Harry began scornfully. "I didn't ask for all this to happen. I can't help that you are related to me. You have treated me like trash for fifteen years and I am SICK OF IT!" The lights flickered again. "I didn't ask you to take me in, but a little compassion would have been appropriate. But since everything has to be about YOU and the sacrifices YOU made, I took your insults and anger. But MY life is in danger here, and I can't help it if this is the only place besides my school that I am safe. You have no idea what I have been through in the last five years, so BACK THE HELL OFF!"

Uncle Vernon was now completely purple in the face and trembling with fury, spit flying as he yelled at his nephew. "I always knew something like this would happen, ever since we took you in! Those no-good parents of yours got themselves killed and left you with nothing but a criminal for a godfather and freaks for friends!"

At these words, Harry pulled his phoenix-core wand out of the back pocket of his ripped jeans and pointed it at Uncle Vernon's chest. Dudley cowered behind his mother at the sight of Harry's wand and an electric charge of energy raced off Harry and through the room, causing the hair on Petunia's neck to stand on end.

"Don't ever mention my godfather again. _Ever_. He was ten times the man you will ever be, and if I hear you so much as mumble his name, you WILL be sorry." As the lights continued to flicker, some of the bulbs sparked and popped.

"What are you going to do, boy?" Uncle Vernon asked as if daring Harry to act. "I know you can't do anything to me. They'll never take you back at the freak show you call a school if you do." Even though he stood his ground and kept his voice firm, Vernon's eyes were darting around the room in fear as more light bulbs popped.

Harry narrowed his eyes and glared severely at his Uncle. "Try me. I don't care what the consequences are. Don't ever mention my godfather again."

The house began to shake on its foundation as Harry's body quivered with anger, but his wand hand was steady, and his face was set. Uncle Vernon, seeing the seriousness in Harry's eyes and remembering his fear of all things magical, had no choice but to yield the argument.

Shocked at his own power to shake the whole house, Harry stood stock still in the living room, waiting for another outburst from his uncle. It didn't come, so he replaced his wand and went back to his thoughts to calm his temper when a sudden wave of sadness swept over him. Sirius had written to him after the dementor attack last year, and even though he was a bit disappointed at the time to receive so little information, at this instant Harry felt he would give anything to see his godfather's writing whether it was two words or twenty. He always depended on Sirius to help him through the worst of times, and now Harry felt more alone than he had in a month. The adrenaline and anxiety pumping through his veins ebbed away, and all he felt was emptiness. He almost began to wish Voldemort had found him. His aunt seemed to see the sudden change in his mood.

"Harry, you have been up in your room since you got back from school. You don't go outside, and you spent most of last summer outside. I don't see any owls going back and forth from your window anymore, and I want to know what is going on with you. Clearly something is wrong, and it seems like it may have to do with this Voldemort person."

Harry looked up at his aunt and saw a stern and almost harsh expression, but her eyes were still filled with concern. Harry took this his aunt's first attempt in fifteen years to listen to his problems and act _like a mother_. So he sat down on the armchair and began a very brief explanation of what happened at the end of the school year, even though he knew he should have been worried to tell Uncle Vernon about Sirius' death. The year Harry told the Dursley's about Sirius, Uncle Vernon believed him to be a hardened criminal and gave Harry more freedom than usual in fear of Sirius' retaliation if Harry was mistreated. Once he found out Sirius was gone he might go back to his favorite pastime of making Harry miserable. Now, so early in the morning as the words spilled out of Harry's mouth, he realized it didn't matter how Uncle Vernon took the news. Harry was already miserable, and besides, he was leaving Privet Drive soon.

When he finished, Harry leaned back in the armchair and let exhaustion take over him. All three Dursley's remained silent, until Aunt Petunia moved forward to help Harry out of the chair. "Go to bed, Harry. We can talk more in the morning if you like."

Normally, Harry would have been surprised by the words "if you like", but too tired to think, he dragged himself upstairs, threw himself on the bed and fell asleep almost immediately.


	3. Rescue

A/N: Here is the new chapter.. I hope you enjoy it... please please review.

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or any of the other characters; I just like to write about them like I do.

**--Chapter Three: Rescue--**

Harry awoke about nine o'clock in the morning after yet another restless night. He had dreamed, not about his godfather, but about the red eyes staring at him through the window, flashes of green light, and screams all around. He was sick of being scared of Voldemort. He had to start accepting that one of them, or maybe both of them, had to die, most likely sooner rather than later. He and Voldemort were connected until they met their end, and Harry could do nothing about it.

_I just want to get the hell out of here,_ he thought.

No matter how unusually kind his aunt was being, Harry still hated being there. For the first time in his wizarding life he had no real desire to see Ron and Hermione, but he did want to talk to Dumbledore and Remus Lupin if he could. He began to gather his things when Errol hit his closed bedroom window with a BANG. He chuckled to himself for the first time in a long time, opened the window and took the letter off Errol's leg. Errol hooted and flew to Hedwig's cage where he helped himself to her water and food. Hedwig, too used to this behavior, ignored him.

_Harry,_

_We are coming for you now. Make sure you are packed because we are leaving in a hurry. Arthur was able to secure some cars to take you to a safe location. Moody and I will be apparating to your house, so send a note back with Errol when you are ready._

_Remus_

Harry raced around his room, throwing all his school items and his clothes into his trunk unceremoniously, and scribbled a note to Lupin.

_Professor Lupin,_

_I am all packed and ready to go. But would you mind apparating outside the front door rather than inside the house? I doubt my uncle will appreciate being around two of the people who threatened him at the end of last year, but if you knock on the front door, he may keep his temper. Thanks._

_Harry_

Harry grabbed Errol from Hedwig's cage, tied the letter to his leg and threw him out the window. Errol dropped about ten feet before he found his wings, and flew off into the distance.

About half an hour later, Harry heard the doorbell ring. He smiled to himself, wondering how long it would take wizards to figure out how to work a muggle doorbell, but then remembered with a pang that Sirius' house at Grimmauld Place had a doorbell. Every thought that led to Sirius seemed to cause Harry's heart to leap, even if it was as trivial as a doorbell.

Ignoring his hurt, he grabbed his trunk and Hedwig's cage and set off downstairs. Uncle Vernon had opened the door (wearing his best suit, of course) but instead of the hot, purple face that usually stared back at him, Harry saw that his uncle's face still looked fuming, but it was quite pale, even bordering on green. Harry remembered Uncle Vernon looking the same way at the train station on his first encounter with the two people standing in the doorway.

"Potter," said Alastor Moody in his traveling cloak and bowler hat. Harry had no doubt Moody's magical eye was darting in all directions underneath the hat. "Do you have your trunk? We need to go soon."

"Hello, Harry," said Remus Lupin from behind Moody. Harry's third-year DADA teacher looked shabbier than ever; the circles under his eyes were darker, and the usual cheerfulness in his eyes and his voice seemed to be gone. Harry felt a sudden surge of pity for Lupin remembering that Lupin was the only Marauder left (not including the traitor Wormtail).

"Hi," Harry replied with a slight smile. "I don't have my broom; I think it's still at school." They were still standing in the doorway; Uncle Vernon had not bothered to invite Lupin and Moody inside. Harry leaned around Uncle Vernon and saw three black cars in the front drive.

"Well, Arthur has sent some cars ahead for us to take you to a safe location, so you won't need it anyway," answered Lupin. "Then you are going to learn to apparate. You have been given special permission to learn, since Dumbledore thinks it is wise and Arthur approved it."

"Really? But what does Mr. Weasley have to do with the decision?"

"Good Lord, Potter! Haven't you been reading the Prophet?" asked Moody incredulously.

"No, not since the school year ended and the whole story about Voldemort and…" He could not say Sirius' name.

"Well," Lupin said, clearly attempting to steer the conversation away from the events at the Department of Mysteries, "Arthur was named the new Minister for Magic just a few days ago. Too many wizarding families complained about the mess Fudge made, and said that we might have been able to capture Voldemort right away if it wasn't for his stupidity. One of the first things Arthur has done is to make sure to clear Sirius' name, so now everyone knows the truth about Peter. But we can discuss this more later, Harry; now we really need to get moving."

"I'm ready," Harry said. Moody muttered a shrinking spell while pointing his wand at Harry's trunk and Hedwig's cage, then handed the mini-items back to Harry; Harry stored them both inside the pocket of his jeans.

All three wizards ignored his uncle blocking part of the doorway and began to walk out the front door when Harry's aunt called his name.

"Harry?" Aunt Petunia looked slightly uncomfortable. Her eyes darted from Lupin to Moody and back to Harry. "I… well, just… um… well, take care of yourself. I suppose we will see you next summer."

Harry was taken aback by his aunt's newest attempt at kindness, and he was tempted to give her a hug, but all he was able to do was nod and smile. Then he turned and followed Mad-Eye and Lupin down the front walk and into the ministry car.

As he expected, the cars looked like normal luxury cars on the outside, but on the inside, the cars were more like limousines room for at least 10 grown-ups.

"Why do we need more than one car?" Harry asked, turning to Moody.

"Just a safety precaution," he answered. As Moody pushed Harry into the car, Harry noticed that Dumbledore was facing him looking very old and tired, but still with a slight twinkle in his eye.

"Hello, Harry. I asked Remus and Alastor to accompany me as your escort, and to help teach you how to apparate."

"Why do you think I need to learn so early, sir?" Harry tried to sound happy to see Dumbledore, but seeing his face reminded Harry of all that had happened at the end of the school year.

"We know that Voldemort is looking for you, and if you get into trouble you need to be able to get yourself out of the situation as quickly as possible. We are going to teach you to apparate to a specific location, a location that Voldemort will not be able to trace you to, and in which he will not be able to apparate," Dumbledore told Harry. It seemed to Harry that, like Lupin and himself, Dumbledore was trying to conceal a deep sadness.

"Where is the spot?" asked Harry curiously.

"At Hogwarts," Dumbledore answered.

"I thought no one was able to apparate or disapparate in or out of Hogwarts, professor."

Dumbledore smiled. "Miss Granger is quite right, Harry. Nevertheless, if my feelings are correct, your powers are growing at an extreme rate, and even though this is partially because of the connection you share with Lord Voldemort, you possess no dark magic in you. Therefore, you have no malicious intent. So with your power and good nature, you will be able to apparate onto Hogwarts grounds to protect yourself. You will not, however, be able to disapparate off the grounds, and we will have to teach you to do the simplest form of both before you can get to the hard part."

Harry was about to argue with Dumbledore that his magic was not growing and that he didn't feel more powerful, but then he remembered his aunt and uncle's house shaking after Vernon's comment about Sirius. Harry had lost his temper and done magic before, causing his Aunt Marge to blow up like a balloon, but he certainly had never been able to move something like a house. He also noticed, now he was thinking about it, that things seemed to be happening on his command, especially if he was angry. Drawers and cupboards flew open as he looked for something, and doors would open and close as he passed through them. He also realized that he never really noticed until now because these things would happen when he was in a towering temper and not really paying attention to much of anything.

Harry felt a jolt as he was pushed back into his seat and jerked away from his thoughts. He looked out the window and saw the ground fade away beneath him. He had experienced flying in a car only once before, and this flight was much more pleasant then the last. He peered out the window of the now invisible car, trying to enjoy the fact that he wouldn't be seeing the Dursley's for another year.


	4. New Questions Answered

**--Chapter Four: New Questions Answered--**

Harry fell asleep in the car on the way to wherever they were going due to his lack of sleep the night before. Still, as he roused, he felt utterly exhausted and was not sure he would be able to draw the energy to learn to apparate. Dumbledore was staring out of the window with a distant look on his face, and Harry felt slightly guilty at being so angry with the headmaster over the last month. Harry always had a sense of safety when he was around Dumbledore, although as always, he could feel that Dumbledore was not telling him everything. This fact is what kept Harry's anger with the headmaster alight inside of him; after all that had happened, Harry thought Dumbledore would realize it was wrong to keep things from Harry, but clearly Dumbledore still believed it was better not to tell Harry more than he needs to know.

"Professor?" Harry yawned.

Dumbledore looked away from the car window. "Yes, Harry?"

"How did Voldemort find out where I live? I mean, isn't all that information supposed to be kept secret by the ministry? I remember Fudge saying something about it last year at my hearing."

"Honestly, Harry, I don't know how he was able to find you, but my theory is one or more of the Death Eaters, or perhaps even a muggle under the Imperius Curse, may have been tailing you from school." Harry knew Dumbledore's theories more often then not turned out to be correct. "It is common knowledge that you live with your muggle relatives. After you exited the train, Remus, Arthur, Alastor and Tonks met you on the platform to talk to your relatives, is that correct?" Harry nodded. "Well, if someone was looking for you or your family, you would not have been hard to spot once Remus and everyone approached your aunt and uncle. This someone may have followed you once you were in your uncle's car back to Little Winging and informed Voldemort of your whereabouts."

"Is it really that easy to find me?" asked Harry incredulously.

"I'm afraid so," answered Dumbledore. "We did have two Aurors guarding your house, but Voldemort killed them at once." Harry remembered the flashes of green light in his head as Dumbledore continued, "Sadly, it turns out they may not have needed to be there at all."

Harry still looked puzzled. "Well, why wasn't he able to see me then? I mean, I was looking right at him, but he seemed to be looking through me, not really seeing anything at all."

"Ah," began Dumbledore with a slight smile. "Well that is another one of my more brilliant ideas," he said, his eyes twinkling. "The protection on you inside your aunt and uncle's house is very similar to the Fidelious Charm that was placed on your parents except for the fact that there is no Secret Keeper. As I have said before, the sacrifice your mother made lives inside you and your Aunt Petunia, and it is to protect you specifically from Voldemort. However, we are going to need to increase the protection for next summer, because unfortunately you have no protection from Voldemort's Death Eaters, who may try something foolish like kidnap. But as long as your aunt agreed to protect you, even if no one else wanted to, Voldemort would not be able to find you. So you see this is the reason I not come to your house when I knew Voldemort was looking for you. I placed my trust in your aunt and your mother's blood."

Harry thought about this and said, more to himself than Dumbledore, "My scar stopped hurting."

"Pardon?"

Harry looked up. "My scar was burning at home, which was how I knew Voldemort was close. I was on the floor when my aunt and uncle came in, and my uncle wanted to toss me out of the house, but my aunt said no. She said she made a promise to protect me, and as soon as she said that my scar stopped hurting."

Dumbledore contemplated this for a moment and then said, "It seems to me that Voldemort has been tracking you through the connection you share and the pain you feel because of it. There is no doubt in my mind that just as you can feel Voldemort's emotions, he can feel yours as well. So the pain in your scar was acting like a homing beacon, and he would either be able to sense your presence through it, or he was counting on the fact that your aunt and uncle would force you out of the house once aware of the danger surrounding them."

Harry lost himself in his thoughts once more and did not notice the car's decent until they hit the ground with a slight bump.

"Where are we?" he asked curiously, stretching his arms.

"Actually, we are in a clearing in the middle of the Forbidden Forrest," answered Lupin. He moved to get out of the car, Harry at his heels. "And I see Severus is already here."

"What?" Harry's heart sank at hearing the name of one of his least favorite people. "What is Snape doing here?"

"_Professor _Snape, Harry," Lupin answered with a slight smile. "Professor Snape is going to assist you along with Dumbledore and myself, Harry. He will be one of your focal points,"

"I'll probably end up apparating in a tree if I have to focus on _him_," Harry mumbled gloomily under his breath. If there was anyone Harry blamed more than himself for the death of Sirius, it was Severus Snape. Harry knew Snape was delighted that Sirius was gone, and by the look on his face, Harry saw Snape had no intention of even pretending to be sympathetic. This thought made Harry's insides seethe with so much anger the car behind him began to rattle.

"Temper, temper, Potter," Snape said, sneering maliciously at Harry.

"Dumbledore," Moody interjected, glaring at Snape's lack of compassion. "I have to get back to the Ministry. I owe Arthur a report."

"Very well, Alastor. Thank you for the assistance," Dumbledore replied.

"Good luck, Potter," Moody said. Harry thanked Moody and watched him return to one of the Ministry cars. Once Moody was inside, his car and one other took off once again and headed up into the clouds. Harry found himself wishing he were up in the sky as well, especially when he looked back and saw Snape still sneering at him.

"Now, Harry," spoke Dumbledore softly, clearly trying to bring his attention away from Snape. "The most important thing to learn about apparating is concentration. If you do not focus on where you want to be, half of you could end up in Saskatoon or Azkaban or inside a wall. It is likely that you will be under pressure at times you need to apparate, which is why I invited Professor Snape to help. You must control your anger and focus only on where you want to be, understood?"

Harry nodded, knowing Dumbledore was warning him not to get angry with Snape and lose his temper.

"Very well," Dumbledore continued to Harry. "We will start with Remus and Severus standing only a few feet apart. The inner Forbidden Forest where we are is not as strongly as the actual grounds of Hogwarts, but it still might be difficult for a beginner. What you need to do Harry, is focus on the person, not the place. Most wizards apparate to a place, but for you I think it is best to think of a person with whom you feel safe."

Harry raised his eyebrows and looked over at Snape. He definitely did NOT feel safe around the potions master. Dumbledore apparently sensed Harry's conflict because he smiled and said, "For right now you just need a general focal point, not necessarily one you feel safe with. However, in the future you will also need a command, very much like a command for a wand spell. Each command is unique to the wizard, but try to think of one that will allow you to apparate to safety."

Harry nodded at this, and then strode over to where Snape was standing a few feet away from Lupin. He thought it best to start focusing on someone that didn't make his insides burn with hatred.

"With a temper like that, Potter, you will probably end up with your head in a tree stump," said Snape. "Were you not listening to what the headmaster said? I am here to make sure you focus on where you need to be, not on your feelings towards me."

"Yes, _sir_, I was listening," spat Harry back at him.

"Okay Harry, close your eyes," Dumbledore explained, "and focus on Professor Lupin. Focus on wanting to be where he is."

Harry smiled at this instruction because he felt he would rather be anywhere in the world than standing next to Snape. After what seemed to be a couple of minutes, Harry felt something like a cool, quick breeze and heard Lupin say from very close,

"Well done, Harry!"

Harry's eyes snapped open, and to his surprise, he found himself standing next to Lupin and looking across the field at Snape.

"That took you a lot less time than I had expected," Lupin said, casting a significant look at Dumbledore.

Dumbledore seemed not to notice or else ignored Lupin, because he did not elaborate. Dumbledore then instructed Lupin and Snape to move further apart, and told Harry to close his eyes once more.

Harry was finding it much harder to focus on Snape, and after a good while Dumbledore said, "Harry, you have to focus. You must control your emotions."

"I know, sir," Harry answered, "but I am having trouble focusing on a place I don't really want to be." Harry no longer cared about pretending to be polite when it came to Snape, and Dumbledore said nothing to this.

Harry took a deep breath, and after a few moments, he felt another breeze and opened his eyes to find the potions master looking down at him. Harry felt a kind of vindictive satisfaction in proving to Snape that he could control his temper.

Harry continued apparating between the two for a few hours until Snape and Lupin were so far into opposite ends of the Forbidden Forest they could no longer see each other. At this point, Dumbledore called everyone back together.

"I think you've really got it, Harry," Lupin told Harry, who smiled back at him.

"Alright, Harry. Now comes the hard part," said Dumbledore. "I am going to apparate to headquarters and I want you to follow me. You will be remaining there for the remainder of the summer." Harry's heart sank at this; the last place he wanted to be was back at Number Twelve Grimmauld Place.

"I thought you said I wouldn't be able to disapparate off the school grounds, professor," he said, hoping he might be able to stay somewhere else.

"As I said before, the magic that protects the castle is not as powerful this deep in the Forest. I think you will be able to manage, but you need to focus on me, alright?" Dumbledore looked Harry in the eyes as he said this, and Harry knew he had no choice, so he simply nodded. Dumbledore said, "Take as long as you need," then placed his hand on Harry's shoulder, and with a CRACK, disapparated.

Harry turned immediately to Lupin and said, "I don't want to go back there. I'd rather Voldemort find me then have to go back there."

Lupin opened his mouth to respond, but Snape cut across him.

"Still unable to control your emotions, Potter? No wonder you were so terrible at Occlumency. Does it ever occur to you that the headmaster is trying to keep you away from the Dark Lord, and alive?"

Harry felt the familiar mixture of guilt and anger lick his insides and he opened his mouth to yell at Snape, but Lupin beat him to it.

"Lay off him, Severus," Lupin said firmly.

"Oh, yes, I forgot," Snape began with a malicious grin. "Potter's your favorite boy, isn't he, Lupin? Be careful he doesn't get you killed like he did Black." Snape's eyes gleamed with triumph.

Harry automatically moved for his wand, his temper about to blow, but Lupin grabbed his arm and stood between the two just as, so many months ago, Harry had stood between Snape and Sirius.

"I said LAY OFF!" Lupin yelled. Harry had never seen Lupin lose his temper before, and by the look of surprise on his face, neither had Snape. "You need to learn when to let things go, Severus. I don't care what your feelings are toward Harry, James, Sirius, or me for that matter, but learn to have some goddamned respect!"

With that, Lupin turned his back on Snape and said to Harry, "Dumbledore is waiting. You must be strong, Harry. I will be there after while."

Harry closed his eyes, trying to block out Snape's taunts and focused on Dumbledore's energy. Then, after a gush of wind, Harry opened his eyes to find himself next to Dumbledore in the hallway of a place he hoped never to set foot in again.


	5. Memories

A/N: This is a revised version... just a few small additions and some corrections as well... please r/r... new chapter coming very soon! Thanks for all the wonderful reviews so far!

**--Chapter Five: Memories--**

Dumbledore looked down at Harry with sympathy and sadness in his eyes.

"It looks as if you can officially apparate now, Harry," Dumbledore said, laying a hand on Harry's shoulder. "We will talk more after while, but I am late for a meeting with the Order. I expect Ron and Hermione are upstairs."

Harry nodded and watched Dumbledore turn to the kitchen and continue out of sight. He sighed, debating whether to go and see Ron and Hermione or sit alone and wait for the meeting to end. He had no real desire to see Ron and Hermione now, but he knew they would be hurt if they found out he was here but didn't come to see them, so he turned and headed up the staircase. The house of Black looked a little brighter and more cheerful than it had the pervious Christmas, and to his surprise (and delight), he noticed the portrait of Sirius' mother was gone. He began to wonder what happened to the portrait, if perhaps the old house-elf had taken it, and as his thoughts turned to Kreacher, disgust and rage rose up from within. Harry clenched his hands into tight fists and tears welled in his eyes as he remembered Kreacher's betrayal and how the elf laughed knowing he had sent Sirius to his death.

_If I see that piece of shit I swear to God I'm going to kill him_, Harry thought viciously. _I'm going to ring his filthy little..._

"Harry!"

Harry jumped at Hermione's shriek; he was so absorbed in thoughts of Kreacher he had not noticed he was standing in front of the room he had stayed in the previous summer. Before he could collect himself, Hermione had thrown herself on him and a mass of bush hair enveloped him. He had a slight feeling of déjà vu, remembering the same scene when he arrived at Grimmauld Place last year.

"Hi, Hermione," he said, trying to sound excited. "It's good to see you. How are you?"

"Oh, Harry, you look awful! Haven't you been eating? Were those Muggles absolutely terrible? We've been so worried but we didn't know what to think because you haven't been writing, and we wanted to come get you but Lupin and Moody said everything was fine..."

"Blimey, take a breath, Hermione!" Harry turned and saw his best friend Ron standing behind him. As usual, Ron had grown a few more inches over the past month, but his red hair had also grown quite a bit. Harry grinned.

"Going for Bill's look, Ron?" Harry asked, gesturing at Ron's hair.

"I know; it's kind of long. Mum hates it, but she seems to be the only one," Ron answered, glancing slightly at Hermione. "So, how are you, mate? We haven't heard from you in a while."

"Oh, you know, all right, I guess. I, um... haven't really done much. It's been raining a lot, so I've just been in my room mostly," Harry answered, not looking at them. He suddenly wanted to be alone again. He gave them a very brief overview of Voldemort finding his house but not being able to see him. They reacted exactly the way he expected; Ron looked extremely tense and Hermione began to lecture him on being more careful. Hermione also began showing signs of wanting to talk about the end of last year.

"You need to stop blaming yourself, Harry. It wasn't your fault," she said.

Harry said nothing, and Ron attempted to change the subject.

"So, Harry, how's about a game of wizard's chess? I've been dying to play someone who can actually challenge me," said Ron, glancing at Hermione who shot Ron a hateful look. Harry jumped on the opportunity to avoid talking about Sirius and agreed to a game. Ginny came in soon afterwards and greeted Harry with a hug and blushing cheeks, then sat down next to Hermione and watched the game progress. Harry was busy concentrating on Ron's knight, but he was still able to notice how grown up and pretty Ginny looked. It seemed as if she had matured greatly over the past month or so. She was wearing make-up, which he had never seen before, and her hair was shoulder length and slightly wavy. Harry felt he never really appreciated Ginny's sense of humor and her willingness to defend him at a moment's notice, as she did in Diagon Alley in his second year. He suddenly felt bold.

"Still seeing Dean Thomas, Ginny?" he asked. Ron frowned and looked up at his sister.

Ginny flushed. "Well, I was, but we haven't talked much since school ended, and I think he's not really interested anymore. No big deal though."

At this statement, Harry smiled to himself.

Two hours and three games later, Mrs. Weasley opened the bedroom door with a wide smile. She had lost a considerable amount of weight, and her face was pale despite her warm look.

"Hello Harry, dear," she said, pulling Harry into a hug. "It's so wonderful to see you! Have you been eating? You look terrible; you're all skin and bones. Come downstairs and I will fix you something. Ron, Ginny, Hermione, come down as well, it's just about dinnertime anyway."

The five of them proceeded down the staircase and Harry's breath caught in his chest as a large group of people yelled, "Happy Birthday, Harry!"

Harry stood speechless, unable to move as Lupin, Tonks, Dumbledore, Fred, George, Bill, Mundungus, Moody, Kingsley and the new Minister for Magic Arthur Weasley stood in the kitchen beaming up at him.

"Harry!" exclaimed Mr. Weasley, clapping Harry on the back. "How are you? It's great to see you."

"Thanks, Mr. Weasley, and congratulations _Minister_," said Harry.

"Oh, well..." Mr. Weasley turned slightly red. "Thank you very much, Harry."

"It really means a lot to me what you did for... I mean, clearing Sirius' name and all..." Harry said, looking at his feet.

Mr. Weasley placed his hand on Harry's shoulder and said, "It's the least I could do, Harry, for you and for Sirius."

Harry could feel a lump in his throat beginning to form, and all he could do was smile.

"Hi'ya, Harry!" said Tonks from behind him. Her hair was chin length and bright purple. Harry took turns greeting everyone, and then stopped to congratulate Fred and George on their successes at the joke shop.

"Yup, 'Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes' is doing great. We had to hire some new hands though, because we are also working part-time for the Order," said Fred.

"Your mum actually let you in?" Harry asked incredulously.

"Well, no," answered Fred.

"But Dad and Dumbledore approved, and anyway, we're over age, so there was really nothing she could do," explained George.

"What kind of work are you doing for the Order?" asked Harry curiously.

"Well," George began, "We can't tell you _exactly_ what we're doing, Harry." He lowered his voice. "But we have been trying to use our business as a cover to keep an eye on Diagon Alley."

Harry looked shocked. "Have you been planning this the whole time? I mean, have you been planning to just pretend to open a joke shop?"

Fred laughed. "No, of course not! We've always wanted to have a joke shop. But this gives us a chance to help out at the same time." Harry looked thoroughly impressed.

The evening continued, and Harry could not imagine the last time he had been so happy. He had never had any sort of birthday party, and he was supremely grateful for all the people present, for all the people who loved him. He ate a very large dinner and a huge piece of the most delicious birthday cake he ever had. He also opened presents from everyone. Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, aside from the cake, gave him a shirt with the Gryffindor symbol on it, Ron gave him the usual Honeydukes sweets and candies, Fred and George gave him a Skiving Snackbox to his delight, Hermione gave him a book called _Occlumency: Mastering the Art of Mastering the Mind_ ("I thought you might still want to get rid of bad dreams," she said) and members of the Order gave him a new knife similar to the one Sirius had given him, which melted at the Department of Mysteries. For a few shining hours, he had forgotten about the prophecy, about Voldemort, even about Sirius. Then suddenly, at one look at Remus Lupin walking towards him, his thoughts turned painfully back to his godfather and his mood plummeted.

"Harry, Sirius wanted you to have this," said Lupin, handing Harry a small package. "Being in the Order, he was required to write a will in case..." His voice broke off. Harry had never seen Lupin look so sad.

"Thanks, Professor Lupin," said Harry quietly, staring at the package in his hand.

Lupin smiled with obvious effort. "You can call me Remus, Harry. Sirius also requested that I watch out for you, so if you ever need anything, just ask."

Harry nodded, then turned and silently headed back to his bedroom, hoping nobody noticed his departure. He closed the door behind him, sat on his bed and once again started at the package he was holding. There was an envelope on the top, which Harry took and opened, his hands trembling.

_Dear Harry,_

_If you receive this letter, it means that I am gone. Whatever has happened, do not blame yourself. This is the kind of risk we all take when entering the Order of the Phoenix, and you must understand that there has to be sacrifices. I'm sorry our time together was so short, and I'm sorry I couldn't be there for you all those years. I see so much of your father in you, and to see Lily's eyes looking back at me through you is the most wonderful feeling in the world. I should have told you this so many times before, Harry, but I love you like my own son. James would have been so proud of you and the person you are becoming. Your father was a good man, Harry, and you are following in his footsteps. I will always be with you, and you must trust in your friends and in yourself. Do not worry about the future or what it might hold; concentrate on the here and now, and you will be just fine. Learn to love life Harry, and live it to the fullest. Never take anything for granted._

_Sirius_

_PS: I left you something that your father left in my possession when he named me your godfather. He told me when he named me your godfather that if anything happened to him, I was to pass it on to you when you were old enough. Use it whenever you feel alone, but use it wisely because it only works when you truly need it. Once you learn how, you will be able to add your own memories to it._

Harry looked up, tears flowing silently down his face, and proceeded to open his gift. Under the wrapping was a small box, and inside the box was a small pendant with a chain. The pendant was of a lion, the symbol of Gryffindor house. Harry put the pendant in his hand and closed it, and suddenly he was flooded with emotion. He could see memories in his head, memories of his father and Sirius in school, memories of his parent's marriage, memories of his baptism, memories of his mother singing him to sleep; he felt happier than he had ever felt in his entire life. They seemed to be combinations of the good memories of Sirius and both his parents. It felt like he had always had parents; that they and Sirius were still alive. For a brief shining moment, he didn't feel alone.

Then it was gone. Harry closing his hand around the pendant again, but the feeling did not return. He sighed and let the disappointment wash over him, but he at least felt better than he had in a long time. He looked up as Ginny entered the room.

"You alright, Harry?" she asked. "You're missing your own party."

Harry was glad he had wiped his face dry a few moments earlier. "I'll be right down," he answered. She came and sat down next to him, and he noticed she had a light scent of jasmine around her. She leaned over and kissed him on the cheek.

"Happy Birthday, Harry," she said, blushing slightly. "Are you sure you're okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," he said, and for the first time in months, he actually meant it.


	6. Results, Reminders and Revenge

((A/N: This is my favorite chapter so far. It is also the longest, and since it might be a little while till I update, I hope it can sustain you! I really enjoyed writing it, so I hope you all enjoy reading it! Please read and review... I really want to know what you think of this chapter. Thanks for all the wonderful reviews!))

**Chapter Six: Results, Reminders and Revenge**

The next few weeks at Grimmauld Place went better than Harry expected them to. He had seen neither hide nor hair of Kreacher, which suited him just fine. There wasn't much cleaning to do, so Harry, Ron and Hermione spend most of their time together, playing gobstones, wizard's chess or just talking about all sorts of things. Ron told Harry that Percy had made up with Mr. and Mrs. Weasley soon after the events at the Ministry.

"I still think Percy's a git," Ron said bitterly. "But Mum's happy about it."

Harry was also able to borrow a broom and play some Quiddich with Bill, Ginny, Ron Fred and George when they all visited the Burrow. About a week and a half before the start of the school year the Hogwarts letters finally arrived, which included the usual letter from Professor McGonagall and the list of new required books, but also enclosed were the O.W.L. results. Hermione was especially excited because, as she constantly reminded Harry and Ron, the Ministry delayed the results because they had been preoccupied with the return of Voldemort and the ousting of Fudge and Dolores Umbridge.

_Dear Mr. Potter,_

_This is just a reminder that the start of term begins on September 1. Please make sure you are at Platform 9 and ¾ before eleven o'clock of that morning so as not to miss the Hogwarts express. Enclosed is your list for the new required books, your O.W.L. results, and recommendations by the staff for what classes you should be taking in order to pursue the career of your choice discussed last year. _

_Sincerely,  
Minerva McGonagall  
Depute Headmistress_

Harry tried not to be nervous as he looked down at his O.W.L. results. The note above the results mentioned that the actual scores he had received consist of averages between the theory and practical exams for each subject.

_Astronomy: Acceptable  
Theory: Acceptable  
Practical: Poor_

_Care for Magical Creatures: Outstanding  
Theory: Outstanding  
Practical: Outstanding_

_Charms: Exceeds Expectations  
Theory: Exceeds Expectations  
Practical: Exceeds Expectations_

_Defense Against the Dark Arts: Outstanding  
Theory: Outstanding  
Practical: Outstanding_

_Divination: Dreadful  
Theory: Dreadful  
Practical: Dreadful_

_Herbology: Acceptable  
Theory: Acceptable  
Practical: Acceptable_

_History of Magic: Poor  
Theory: Poor  
Practical: ----_

_Potions: Exceeds Expectations  
Theory: Acceptable  
Practical: Exceeds Expectations_

_Transfiguration: Exceeds Expectations  
Theory: Acceptable  
Practical: Exceeds Expectations_

Harry was pleasantly surprised on how well he did. He figured Hermione would be proud too, but he wanted to wait to see what Ron got before he went and told her. He was slightly disappointed, though, as he realized that his chances for becoming an Auror were now slim-to-none since he did not receive an "Outstanding" on his Potions exam. However, the thought Snape no longer being his professor was greatly pleasing to him.

Hermione, as expected, did remarkably well. She received nine "Outstanding" in all O.W.L.'s except Astronomy in which she received an "O" in the written exam and an "E" in the practical, giving her an average of "E". This greatly upset her, even though Ron and Harry tried to point out that receiving nine "Outstandings" was probably a new record for the school.

"And besides, Hermione," Ron pointed out, "An 'E' is still a passing grade anyway!"

"Oh, shut up Ron," scoffed Hermione. Harry and Ron decided to stop trying to make her feel better after that.

Ron, on the other hand, was ecstatic about his scores. He received only one "Outstanding" which was in Care of Magical Creatures, but he received "Exceeds Expectations" in Defense Against the Dark Arts and Charms, and Acceptable in History of Magic, Transfiguration and Herbology.

"Six O.W.L.s! That's one more than Fred and George. Still, it's too bad I won't be able to be in Transfiguration with you all, since McGonagall only accepts 'Exceeds Expectations'," said Ron. "But, hey! No more Potions! That's a plus!"

"I just don't know what to take," said Hermione, sounding exasperated. "I mean, they told me I have my choice among all the classes, but I'm still not sure what I want to do after graduation! I don't suppose I'll need Astronomy anymore. What did they suggest for you, Harry?" She leaned over and looked at Harry's scores. "Wow! Seven O.W.L.'s? That's wonderful."

"Thanks," Harry said with a smile. He looked back down at his letter and said, "But I don't understand something. It's suggested here that I should take Potions if I still want to be an Auror, but Snape won't let me in with an 'E' will he?"

Ron looked down at Harry's letter and said, "Hmm... that is weird." Then a grin spread across his face and he said, "Maybe Snape got killed by Death Eaters or something!"

Harry shook his head. "No such luck. I've seen him already."

"What!"

"Oh, I forgot to tell you! Dumbledore wanted me to learn how to apparate, so when I was picked up from Privet Drive he, Snape and Lupin taught me how."

Ron gaped at him, but Hermione looked slightly miffed.

"What?" Harry asked her.

"Nothing! It's just, well... oh, never mind," Hermione said, not looking at him. Harry suddenly understood.

"There's nothing to be jealous of, Hermione," he said. "Dumbledore just wanted me to be able to quickly get out of harm's way and back to Hogwarts."

"But you _can't_ apparate into school grounds..." Hermione began.

"Yes, I know, I thought so too," Harry interrupted. "But Dumbledore said my magic is growing and he thought I would be able to do it. I actually apparated here from the Forbidden Forest. I won't be able to disapparate from Hogwarts, unfortunately." He smiled at Hermione, but she still looked irritated.

"Look," Harry began again, starting to get angry. "It's not a good thing when the headmaster tells you to learn something only because it may save your life! It's not as if he's spoiling me or anything. Voldemort wants to kill me, Hermione, so Dumbledore thought this was best. Besides, you'll learn next year."

Hermione's expression softened. "I'm sorry, Harry. I don't know what I was thinking; you're absolutely right." She went back to reading her letter.

Harry turned to Ron and changed subjects. "The house is really clean; I meant to mention it earlier. Did you all do a lot of cleaning when I was at the Dursley's?"

"Nope," Ron said. "It was clean enough at the end of term, so we didn't have to do much. Sirius probably had a lot of time on his hands being here..." He broke off once he saw the look on Harry's face. "Sorry, Harry," he mumbled awkwardly.

"S'ok, I reckon he did do a lot of cleaning since he couldn't go out," said Harry with obvious difficulty.

"Anyway, it's not like Kreacher did anything for him, or anyone else for that matter," Ron continued, ignoring a scowl from Hermione. "But luckily most of the really awful stuff is gone."

"Is Kreacher still here?" asked Harry through gritted teeth.

"Yeah, but he spends most of the time hiding in his den," said Ron. "We finally were able to take down of the portrait of Sirius' mum, but Kreacher took it and stashed it before we could throw it out."

"I hope he stays there. I hope he rots in his den," said Harry maliciously.

Hermione had heard enough. "You shouldn't be so harsh, Harry," she said. "Whatever he is, it's not his fault."

"Oh, come off it, Hermione..." Ron began.

"Shut up, Ron! It's true," she shot back.

Harry whipped around and glared at her. "Kreacher is a lying, foul piece of filth that deserves to..."

"Harry, he's the way he is because of centuries of oppression by wizards on his kind," Hermione interrupted. "You can't blame him for the way he is."

Harry couldn't believe his ears and was about to burst with anger, so Ron tried to change the subject. "Do you think you will be able to play Quiddich again, Harry?"

Harry recognized Ron's attempt to diffuse the situation, so he took a deep breath, turned away from Hermione and said, "I hope so. I miss my Firebolt."

"Well, if the ban is still on maybe they'll give you back your broom anyway," Ron said hopefully. Harry, his mind still on Kreacher, simply shrugged.

_If Hermione knew what REALLY happened,_ Harry thought. Luckily, an interruption by Mrs. Weasley announcing lunch prevented any more skirmishes.

**XxxxxxxxxxxXxxxxxxxxxxX**

The next few days passed without incident. Harry, Ron, Hermione and Ginny went to Diagon Alley escorted by Mrs. Weasley, Lupin and Tonks. The Order was concerned for Harry's safety since Lord Voldemort had been spotted outside of Diagon Alley a few days prior. However, everything went smoothly, and they all enjoyed an ice cream at Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlor after buying their new schoolbooks and after Harry bought himself a new watch. They returned to Number 12 a few hours later, new books in hand.

That afternoon, Mrs. Weasley mentioned the drawing room curtains were full of doxies again, and since she was unable to find (or command) Kreacher, she asked Ron, Harry, Hermione and Ginny to help out. The four of them were at it for a couple of hours when Kreacher opened the door and came in. A fire lit inside Harry as soon as he saw the elf, who looked extremely old and weathered. He was puttering around and muttering under his breath and at first appeared not to notice them.

"Nasty blood traitors and half-breeds messing up my Mistress's house, Kreacher must protect his Mistress, if she knew all the scum has come back, what would she say to poor Kreacher, what would she say if she knew Master had given the house to these traitors..."

Harry gritted his teeth and clenched his hands into fists trying to focus on anything but Kreacher's muttering. The elf looked up and finally seemed to realize he was not alone.

"The Potter boy is here again," said Kreacher, staring at Harry's forehead. "Kreacher wonders why he is here, Kreacher thought he would never return to the Noble House of Black now Master is not here, but Kreacher will soon be alone again, he and his Mistress will be alone at last, now Master has gone."

"So go get your Mistress and leave already!" spat Harry.

"Harry!" scolded Hermione. "You know he can't leave the house!" Harry ignored her, as did Kreacher.

The elf looked up at Harry again and spoke," Kreacher rescued his Mistress from the blood traitors, Master disgraced my Mistress, broke her heart by allowing in such filth."

"You're the only filth around here, Kreacher," said Harry. A creepy smile spread across Kreacher's old and worn face.

"But Master is gone now; Kreacher helped his Mistress to make sure Master never came back..."

Harry snapped. The same electric surge of energy and emotions his relatives felt at Privet Drive burst through him and around the room. With a yell of fury, Harry threw himself forward across a table at Kreacher, whose eyes widened with surprise. Harry knocked into Kreacher's chest and they toppled to the ground. Harry didn't care how old, insane, or sickly the elf was; he wanted to make Kreacher pay for what he did to Sirius. He wanted to wipe that smirk off Kreacher's face forever, and he began punching Kreacher with every bit of strength he had. His scar began to throb; Harry realized Voldemort was happy about something, but he paid no attention. He heard Hermione yelling from somewhere and he heard someone leave the room, but he did not care. Ron tried to pull his arms off Kreacher, but Harry yanked a hand free, reached for Kreacher's neck, and began to squeeze.

"IMPERIMENTA!" Someone yelled the spell suddenly and Harry finally relinquished his hold on the elf as he was thrown back across the room. He looked up and saw that Ginny had returned with Lupin, Dumbledore and Mrs. Weasley.

"Harry! What is the meaning of this?" Dumbledore asked in a firm and slightly angry tone.

"Well OBVIOUSLY, Professor," Harry began scornfully, breathing hard. "I was attempting to beat every living inch out of that ragged piece of filth, that... that disgrace of a house-elf..." He pointed a shaky finger at Kreacher and made to rush at him again, but Lupin and Ron held him back. Dumbledore moved over to look at the broken and bleeding Kreacher sprawled on the ground, and then Hermione stepped out between Harry and Kreacher.

"Get out of the way, Hermione," Harry said warningly. He was struggling furiously to wrench himself out of Ron and Lupin's grips. "You don't know half of what he really is, you and all your SPEW bullshit. I don't care what you think. He killed Sirius, Hermione; now get out of the way!"

Tears were welling in her eyes, but Hermione did not budge. "No, Harry," she said firmly. "I'm not moving until you clam down and tell me what's going on."

"I said MOVE!"

Mirrors and windows in the room shattered, picture frames cracked and the house began to rumble. Ron and Lupin suddenly released Harry with yelps of pain as another electric shock surged onto them from Harry. Harry stood panting in the room and looked around at all the shocked faces looking at him.

"What the hell are you all looking at!" he yelled.

"Harry, you need to calm down..." Lupin said gently, but slightly nervously.

"Calm down? CALM DOWN? Do you know what he did, Remus?" Harry shouted pointing down at the now unconscious Kreacher. "He's the reason Sirius is gone, just like Wormtail is the reason my parents are dead! I made the mistake of letting Wormtail live, and I will not make that mistake again!"

The tears were starting to flow now; Ron stared at him with his mouth slightly open, while Hermione clapped her hand over her mouth and looked as if she was on the verge of hysterics. No one made a move except Lupin, who moved around and stopped in front of Harry.

"I know, Harry, I know what he did," he said, his voice shaking. "But this isn't going to help anyone. It's not going to bring Sirius back."

"It doesn't matter!" yelled Harry, tears streaming down his face. "He deserved to feel the pain that I feel! He deserves to die..."

"Harry," Lupin interrupted with a slightly cold tone. "We all miss Sirius, but these are the risks we all took when pledging to the Order. Sirius would have done anything to protect you, and wallowing in sadness and guilt is a horrible way of remembering him."

"Like you should talk, Lupin," said Harry hatefully.

For a brief moment, Lupin looked angry enough to hit Harry, but he recovered his composure and said, "Sirius wouldn't have wanted you to become a murderer for him."

With a grunt of defeat and aggravation, Harry turned his back on the crowd and stormed out of the room. Once he reached the guest bedroom, he slammed the door and sat on his bed, his tear streaked face in his hands. He was shaking from the adrenaline still pumping through him and his scar ached dully. He stood up suddenly and with an anguished yell, he grabbed his schoolbooks and threw them across the room as hard as he could. Then he grabbed his robes, his sneakoscope and anything else he could get his hands on and chucked them all in turn as well, very much like he did in Dumbledore's office a few months before. Finally, having exhausted himself, having used all the physical and emotional energy he could muster, he collapsed on his bed and stared at the empty trunk on the floor. He noticed pieces of glass at the bottom, and as he leaned forward to examine them, he found his father's mirror that Sirius had given him. All the emotion from the deaths of Sirius, Cedric and his parents began to boil up inside him. He picked it up and looked at the shattered face for a moment, then clutched the mirror to his chest and cried himself to sleep.

Harry woke early the following morning to Ron's snores. It was still dark, and he reached for his glasses to check his watch, which read 2:15. Someone must have cleaned the room while he was sleeping because his trunk was full again and there was nothing on the floor. He noticed his pendant was sitting on his bedside table, so he reached for it and placed it around his neck. Suddenly feeling hungry, he crept out of bed and headed to find some food in the kitchen. He paused at the bottommost stair when he heard voices.

"He'll be fine, Dumbledore. Harry beat him unconscious, but there is no permanent damage," Harry heard Lupin say.

"I'm sure Kreacher will recover," said Dumbledore. "The magic of his kind is indeed very powerful. My main concern is for Harry."

"Do you really think his power is growing too fast for him to handle?" asked Mrs. Weasley.

"I can only speculate, Molly," Dumbledore answered. "His hurt and anger towards Kreacher, though not entirely unpredictable, seems to be much more intense than I originally anticipated. Harry has always had a quick temper, but this surge of violence is unexpected."

"Albus, he made the whole house shake just through his emotions! He needs to learn some control," Lupin said worriedly.

"I understand that, Remus," Dumbledore said calmly. "But Harry doesn't understand the extent of his power. I thought it wouldn't show until his seventh year at least, but I believe the death of Sirius must have triggered something deep within him."

The room fell silent, and Harry strained his ears to hear any whispers, but Dumbledore suddenly spoke once more.

"I know you are all concerned about Harry, but you must be strong for him. The last thing he needs is all of us to be tiptoeing around him so as not to anger him. Harry needs our support and advice, not our distance."

Harry knew the conversation was over from the finality in Dumbledore's voice, and sure enough, he heard the creaking of chairs and scuffling of shoes as everyone got to their feet. Harry hid himself in the shadows and watched Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, Bill, Moody and Tonks leave the room. Then he heard Dumbledore say, "I would like a word with you, Remus." Harry heard the sound of a chair scratching the floor as it was pulled away from the table and he moved closer to the door once again.

"What is it, Albus?" asked Lupin. Harry was surprised by Lupin's bitter tone, and he felt a surge of affection toward his old teacher for feeling the same way he did about the headmaster.

"Remus, I meant what I said about Harry. He needs guidance and support, especially from you." Lupin said nothing. "I know Sirius meant a lot to you," Dumbledore continued. "However, both you and Harry need to accept that he's gone and you both need to let go of your anger. You are Harry's last father figure, and he needs you. I cannot help him as much as I had hoped because I feel he has lost all trust in me, as you have," Dumbledore said sadly, and Harry felt a slight twinge of guilt and wondered if Lupin felt it too.

"I'm wouldn't be much of a father, Albus," said Lupin quietly.

"You don't need to be his father, Remus. You just need to be there for him," Dumbledore explained. "He needs stability right now, and I know he can find that through you."

Lupin must have nodded his agreement because Harry heard footsteps coming toward the door. He quickly proceeded back up the stairs and into his room having completely lost his appetite. He lay awake for hours, his eyes fixed on the ceiling, and thought about what he had overheard. He had felt for a long time that Lupin blamed him for Sirius' death, and now he really believed his feelings were correct. He began to feel incredibly alone once more. He didn't even want to use the pendent to make him feel better since the pendant showed him images of the people who had their lives taken or broken because of him. Trying to rid his head of guilt, he turned his thoughts to the discussion about his powers.

_Is my power really out of control? _He thought hopelessly. _How did it get like this? How did _I_ get like this?_

He finally fell asleep in the late hours of the early morning with one phrase repeating over and over in his mind:

"_He will have power the Dark Lord knows not..."_

((A/N: Don't forget to review! I am always open to suggestions, questions and emails.))


	7. Friendship

A/N: Okay... sorry this took so long! I'm not too sure about this chapter.. its very emotional and there's alot of crying (this is the angst category, isn't it?). I based the scene between Lupin and Harry on a scene between Robin Williams and Matt Damon in Good Will Hunting. If any of you have seen that movie, you will know which scene it is when you read it. It didn't come out as good on paper as it did in the movie, but I really liked that scene. Anyway, read and review as usual... thanks for all the ABSOLUTELY WONDERFUL reviews so far! email me with any suggestions...

**Chapter Seven: Friendship**

"_It's true my Lord. Dumbledore told me the story when I saw him briefly this evening. The boy lost control and attacked the house elf," said a voice behind a black hood._

"_Excellent," said Harry in a high, cold voice. He looked down and saw his own hands, long-fingered and white, resting on an armrest. "His powers are beginning to run out of control; soon he will not be able to control them, and he will have no one to turn to." A horrible smile stretched across his skull-like face._

"_What is your plan, my Lord?" asked the hooded figure._

"_You will find out in due time, Severus. There is work to be done first, and we must prepare for what is to come." Harry stood up and turned to a cracked mirror then said, apparently to himself, "Your time is up, Harry..."_

"Harry!"

His eyes snapped open and his hand went immediately to his burning scar. It was the first time in a long time he had seen through Voldemort's eyes in his dreams. He closed his eyes again, willing for sleep to come back.

"Harry!" Ron repeated. "It's time to get up. Mum says you need to eat."

Harry opened his eyes again and squinted to see through the sunlight shining through the bedroom window. He put on his glasses and saw Ron standing in the doorway.

"What time is it?" he asked.

"About 12:30," Ron answered. "You've been asleep all morning, mate."

Harry groaned as he rolled out of bed feeling the ache in his head from both his scar and yet another night with a lack of restful sleep.

"I'll be right down," he said, and Ron turned and left the room. He wasn't really in the mood for people to question or reprimand him about what he did to Kreacher, but his stomach growled with hunger and he figured he would have to show his face at some point during the day anyway. He dressed, put on his pendant and made his way down the stairs, staring at the floor as he entered the kitchen to avoid eye contact with anyone. His heart sank when he saw how many people were actually in the kitchen: Tonks, Kingsley Shacklebolt, Mrs. Weasley, Bill and Ron.

"Good morning, Harry dear," said Mrs. Weasley. "Or should I say 'good afternoon'?" she added with a grin. He managed a faint smile and a "Thanks" as she placed a sandwich in front of him on the kitchen table. He expected everyone to talk immediately about the previous afternoon, but instead they continued a conversation that had apparently started before he entered the kitchen.

"So what does Arthur say about it, Molly?" asked Tonks.

"Well, he understands that Fudge made a huge mess of things in the entire wizarding world as well as the Ministry, but Arthur feels throwing him in Azkaban may not solve anything at all," she answered.

"I'm sorry," Bill began, "but I think Fudge should get more than just a slap on the wrist. Dad said wizards from all over the country are writing to him and to the _Prophet_ calling for Fudge's arrest. Why not give them what they want? He is the reason You-Know-Who has so many supporters now."

"Yes, but he is also the reason Voldemort didn't kill anyone for a whole year," argued Kingsley. "Fudge's denial of Voldemort's return may have saved dozens of lives because it forced him to operate in secret."

"Well, my point is that this doesn't matter because this subject is moot. Fudge is out of office and You-Know-Who is back now, so..."

"Molly, when _are_ you going to start saying 'Voldemort'?"

Harry's head snapped up from his plate and he saw Lupin entering the kitchen, looking as bad as Harry felt. His eyes were bloodshot and the circles underneath them were darker than usual. Harry knew the full moon was still about a week away, but Lupin already looked like a werewolf; his hair was matted and unkempt, and it looked as if he had not shaved in days.

"Well Harry, it looks like you're not the only one who decided to sleep in," said Mrs. Weasley slyly, dodging Lupin's comment about Voldemort.

Lupin sat down at the table and turned to look at Harry, who quickly turned his gaze back to his plate. He only ate about half of his sandwich, but he stood up and turned to leave, hoping he would leave his guilt over making Lupin so miserable back with his lunch.

"You hardly touched your lunch, Harry. Did you get enough to eat?" asked Mrs. Weasley.

"Yes, thank you," lied Harry, and he left the kitchen with Ron.

"Up for some wizard's chess, mate?" Ron asked.

"Sure," said Harry, desperate to do anything that would take his mind off Kreacher and Lupin. "Let's go up to the attic and play there."

Ron nodded his agreement and proceeded to their room to get the board while Harry headed further up the stairs. When he reached the attic, he noticed Buckbeak resting soundlessly in the far corner. Harry approached him slowly and stopped to bow once his eyes snapped open. Buckbeak returned the bow and Harry went up to him, patted him on the head, and then sat down leaning against the hippogriff for support. Ron came in soon after followed by Ginny and (to Harry's dismay) Hermione, each of which took turns bowing to Buckbeak. Ginny sat down next to Harry; his stomach jumped as her light sent filled the air around him. She was so pretty; how could he have not noticed before now?

She turned to him with a smile and said, "Finally decided to join the living, Harry?" He responded with a smile; somehow, her presence always made his pain lessen. She looked with some concern at his forehead and reached up to touch it. "Your scar is really red," she said. "Does it hurt?"

"No," he replied, more forcefully than he meant to as he pulled away from her. He moved his hand automatically over his scar and said a little more politely, "I just had a dream about Voldemort last night, that's all."

Ron tried to suppress a shiver, Ginny slightly winced, but Hermione's head snapped up. She opened her mouth to speak, but Harry held his hand up to her and cut her off.

"Do me a favor, Hermione," he said bitterly, "and don't talk to me."

He knew this statement hurt her badly by seeing the look on her face, but he barely cared because of his anger over her defending Kreacher. She stood up and fled the room in tears.

"That was really uncalled for, Harry," said Ginny angrily.

"Oh, come off it, Ginny!" said Ron. Evidently, he was as angry with Hermione as Harry was. "If she wants to defend that stupid house-elf over Harry than she can make Kreacher her best friend instead," he continued defiantly. At that moment, Harry truly appreciated Ron's friendship more than ever before. Ron didn't know the whole story behind what Kreacher did, but he knew enough to know he should take Harry's side.

"Ron, you're such a prat sometimes," Ginny shot back, and she turned to face Harry. "Don't you understand that she was only trying to help? She couldn't stand to see you in so much pain, and she wanted to calm you down so she would talk to you."

Harry swore under his breath; he did _not_ want to deal with this now. "I'm just really mad at her Ginny..." he began, but Ginny cut across him.

"We hate to see you in pain, Harry, and this is a horrible way of showing your appreciation. You are being so selfish that you don't even realize how much we all care for you!" And with that, she rushed out the door after Hermione.

Harry looked up at Ron who shrugged and said, "Don't worry about it, mate," and then began to set up the chessboard.

Harry always enjoyed chess because of all the concentration it took; he always focused his mind on the game rather than everything else in his life. Because of this, Harry spent the next hour and a half almost guilt free. As soon as Ron said, "Checkmate," however, the weight on his mind and body returned stronger than ever. He needed to relieve some of the pressure inside him; he needed to tell someone about the burden he had been carrying for so long.

"I need to tell you something," he said to Ron.

"Okay," Ron answered uncertainly.

Harry originally intended to tell Ron only about the prophecy, but before he could stop himself, he was pouring out everything Dumbledore had told him in his office at the end of last term. He told Ron the full story of Kreacher's betrayal, why Dumbledore said he needed to stay with the Dursley's every summer, the speaker and contents of the prophecy, and Dumbledore's confession about his mistakes concerning Harry. In fact, the only bit of information he left out was Dumbledore's explanation of why he did not pick Harry for a prefect over Ron. After he finished, Harry took a deep breath and felt somewhat relieved until he saw the look on his best friend's face.

"So, the last part of the prophecy," Ron began with a gulp, "does that mean either you have to kill You-Know-Who or he has to kill you?" Harry nodded.

"Blimey, Harry," continued Ron, exasperated. "How do you know killing him won't kill you anyway?"

"I don't," Harry answered.

"I want to help in anyway I can, Harry," said Ron, "but you have to tell me how. What are you going to do?"

"I don't know," Harry said truthfully. "I guess all I can do is prepare to fight; Even though I don't know how to kill him, I can bet Voldemort has something planned, and I have to be ready for that. Honestly though," he continued, "I've escaped him five times now; I have a feeling that my luck is running out."

**XxxxxxxxxxxXxxxxxxxxxxX**

Hermione avoided both Ron and Harry for the next week, and Harry began to feel extremely bad about what he had said. However, he did not have a chance to talk to her about it because a few days before the start of term she went to stay with her parents. He was able to apologize to Ginny, who gladly accepted and told him she was sorry for calling him selfish.

"It's alright," he said. "I have been wallowing in a lot of self-pity lately."

The day before September 1, Harry and Ron spent the day packing, but in the evening, something he had been dreading since his fight with Kreacher finally happened.

"Harry, can I talk to you for a minute?" asked Lupin after dinner.

"Err... sure, I guess," Harry answered reluctantly. He was not ready to hear Lupin tell him about how selfish he had been or lay into him about Sirius. The two of them moved into the drawing room; Lupin held the door open for Harry then closed it once inside. Harry looked out one of the windows and waited for Lupin to speak, but when he did not Harry turned around and asked, "What is it, Remus?" more forcefully than he meant to.

Lupin looked up at Harry. "Harry, I don't blame you for Sirius' death," he said.

"I know," Harry lied.

"Because it wasn't your fault," Lupin continued.

"I _know_," Harry repeated.

"No, Harry, you don't. It wasn't your fault," Lupin reiterated moving closer to him.

"Stop it, Remus," said Harry, backing away.

"It wasn't your fault, Harry," said Lupin again, still moving closer to Harry and placing a hand on his shoulder.

"Seriously," Harry said, desperation in his shaking voice. "Leave me alone."

"You need to let go of your anger, Harry," Lupin went on. "It wasn't your fault."

"Stop it!" Harry said in a shaky voice. "Stop screwing with me, Remus; I know what you're trying to do." Tears were filling his eyes again.

"Harry, look at me," Lupin said softly, and Harry looked up. "It wasn't your fault."

Harry collapsed on Lupin's shoulder as he burst into tears. Lupin hugged him close and let Harry release all his misery and sorrow. When Harry finally pulled away, Lupin had tears streaming down his face as well.

Harry wiped his own face and said, "But it _is_ my fault! If I had practiced occulemency..." It was all coming out of him now. "Hermione said Voldemort was banking on my 'love of playing the hero' and she was right! Sirius would not have had to come after me if I had just stayed..."

"Harry, Sirius was a grown man, old enough to make his own decisions, especially when it came to you. Yes, he was also reckless sometimes, but you have to remember Voldemort lured you to the Department of Mysteries that night. Voldemort is the reason we had to come after you, and he is the reason Sirius is gone. We both need to let go of our guilt, Harry, and just accept that he is gone," Lupin said.

Harry nodded and Lupin went on. "Listen to me, Harry, because this is very important. You must try to rid yourself of your anger, which right now is the strongest emotion inside you. Voldemort knows you lose control when you are angry, so you must practice closing your mind, especially at night. Have you had any dreams about Voldemort?"

"The night I attacked Kreacher," Harry answered nodding his head. "He was talking about my temper to Snape, and later I remembered feeling my scar burn when I was hitting Kreacher. I didn't really care at the time, but I could tell Voldemort was happy about something. Actually, I figured it was just coincidence until I had that dream. But why would he care about my temper?"

"We don't know, Harry, but the angrier you are the more access he has to you, especially away from school. Your location might even open to him when you are away from school, so he will have access to _you_, not just your mind and emotions," Lupin explained. "He loves to see everyone around him in misery and dispair, and in your case I'm sure you know he wants to cause you as much pain as possible. Because of the connection between you, we think he might be able to drain your energy very much like a dementor can, which is why it is so important you keep your temper under control. Professor Dumbledore has allowed me to stay at Hogwarts for most of the school year to keep an eye on you and to give you new Occlumency lessons."

Harry's mood brightened at this; he knew Dumbledore might want him to continue Occulmency but he never expected to get lessons with Lupin.

"He also wants you to reform the DA with my help," Lupin went on. "Voldemort is out in the open now and it's just a matter of time before he makes a full-out assault on populous wizarding areas like Diagon Alley or Hogsmede. You and your friends must help others learn to defend themselves and their families as you have just in case the attack happens sooner than we anticipate. And let the ORDER worry about what Voldemort is up to, Harry," he added seeing a concerned look on Harry's face. "That's what we are here for. All you need to worry about is closing your mind. Will you promise me?"

"Yes, I promise," replied Harry.

"You better go finish packing, then. We have to leave early in the morning," Lupin instructed and Harry nodded then moved for the door. Suddenly he turned back around to face Lupin and said, "Thank you, Remus," then he left the room. Lupin made sure Harry was out of earshot, and then he collapsed in an armchair, his face in his hands and cried silently, happy to be free from his guilt and happy to finally be able to let Sirius go.

The next morning Harry, Lupin and the Weasleys headed to King's Cross to catch the Hogwarts express. Lupin told them all on the way that he would be staying at Hogwarts and helping with the DA.

"Are you riding the train with us again, Professor?" Ginny asked, remembering him on the train in her second year.

"No," he answered. "I have some business for the Order in Hogsmede, so I'll catch a carriage from there."

"What kind of business?" asked Ron curiously, ignoring a glare from his mother. Lupin simply smiled in response.

Once they arrived at the train station, they passed through the barrier dividing platforms nine and ten onto Platform 9 ¾ in groups of two: Harry with Lupin, Mr. Weasley with Ginny, and Mrs. Weasley with Ron. Through the mass off witches and wizards helping their children on the train Harry spotted Hermione with her parents and began to walk towards her (followed closely by Mr. Weasley who never missed a chance to talk to Hermione's muggle parents). She looked heartbroken at the sight of him and immediately began explaining herself.

"Oh, Harry, I'm so sorry!" she said, tears in her eyes. "I wasn't picking Kreacher over you; you and Ron are my best friends and I just wanted to help but I didn't know how..."

"It's alright, Hermione," Harry interrupted, but she seemed not to register what he had said.

"I understand if you never want to talk to me again, I mean that was just awful of me once I thought about it, but... wait, what did you just say?"

"It's alright," Harry repeated with a smile. "I'm sorry too. I never should have snapped at you like that," he said, sweeping her into a hug. She sniffled and pulled away as soon as she saw Ron walking towards them. Harry noticed her flush immediately at the sight of their friend, and she took that moment to apologize to him as well. Ron looked at Harry as if asking for permission to forgive her, and when Harry nodded, he shrugged and said, "No harm done."

Hermione burst into tears and threw herself on Ron. Ron looked mortified and slightly panicked; he stood there for a few seconds, red creeping up his ears, not knowing exactly what to do. He looked at Harry for support, but when he received none he simply patted her on the back; finally she withdrew from him and wiped her tears away. Ron was a red as a tomato, and Harry rolled his eyes to himself, wondering how Ron could not realize how much he liked Hermione.

"Harry, I don't think you've met my parents," Hermione said with another sniffle.

"It's a pleasure, Harry," said Mrs. Granger holding out her hand. "We've heard so much about you."

Slightly embarrassed by this, Harry shook her hand just the same. He didn't get a chance to meet Mr. Granger since he was engaged in a conversation with Mr. Weasley about spark plugs.

"Hey, you three!" Ginny yelled from a window on the train. "Are you ditching school this year, or something? Come on, the train's leaving."

The three of them said their goodbyes all around and climbed aboard. Harry smiled to himself as he did so; he was finally going home.


	8. On the Road Again

A/N: Sorry for the horrible delay! Thanks for sticking with me and for all your wonderful reviews and votes! If you haven't voted yet, please do so because the poll closes on Saturady. Just so you know, the poll had NO EFFECT on this chapter simply because I started this chapter before I started the poll. With that in mind, I have some overdue questions to answer and thanks to give...

To **Dr Gero** and **carpathia**: Don't worry... There will be lots more of Snape... I think he's going to play a big part in this story... :) Thanks for the reviews and keep reading!

To **Jo Lizard**: You said, "Don't they never learn anything?"... and my answer is... no, I guess not! ;) Thanks for your wonderful reviews...

To **Bukama**: Don't worry.. this won't turn into a 'I suddenly noticed ...(Fill in the blanc) and now she's my soulmate' fic... thanks for sticking with me... I know that Harry can date more than one girl. :)

To **Quizgirl**: Thanks for giving my story a chance... I love yours and can't wait for the next update! Keep reviewing!

To **Melindaleo**: One of my first and favorite reviewers! Yes, I will tell you the results of the poll, just not now! And don't forget this chapter is not affected by the poll either... thanks for all the great reviews!

To **Cochise**: Hmm... Luna/Harry/Ginny, huh? That _is_ an interresting idea... I will keep it in mind! Thanks for the suggestion, and keep reading!

And finally, To **Embries**: My favorite reviewer and awsome new beta-er! Thanks for all your support... I am looking forward to your new chapter... good luck and thanks again!

If I forgot to answer any questions please email me or repost them and I will get to them ASAP! Hope you enjoy...

**--Chapter Eight: On the Road Again--**

Once on board, Ron and Hermione headed to the prefect's car to patrol the train, so Harry and Ginny continued to the back to find an open compartment. Ginny opened one in which Neville Longbottom and Luna Lovegood were sitting; Harry was slightly disappointed because he was hoping to sit with Ginny alone, but he followed her in just the same.

"Hello," Luna said politely in a dreamy voice, then went back to reading her copy of _The Quibbler_.

"Hi'ya, Harry!" Neville said brightly. "Check it out!" he said, and he pulled out a wand from the pocket of his robes. "Eight inches, maple, unicorn tail core. Gran was really mad about my dad's wand, but she was still proud of me for helping you at the Department of Mysteries."

"That's great, Neville," replied Harry, eager to steer the conversation away from the events of that night. "What happened to that weird plant thing you had last year?" he asked.

"Oh, the _Mimbulous Mimbletonia_? Professor Sprout said she would look after it for me over the summer. She wrote to me and said it was huge! I think we may learn about it this year in N.E.W.T. Herbology." Neville sighed and said, "Herbology was the only 'O' I got for O.W.Ls. Gran wasn't happy, but I managed to get an 'E' in Defense Against the Dark Arts thanks to you, Harry."

"That's bloody brilliant, Neville!" said Harry, beaming at him.

"Thanks," Neville answered sheepishly.

"Are you worried about exams this year, Luna?" asked Ginny.

Luna looked up from her upside-down copy of _The Quibbler_, and as she did so, she caught Harry's eye. To his surprise, his stomach jumped when he looked at her, but he pushed it out of his mind.

"No," Luna began, "I did a lot of studying in Sweden when I was there with daddy looking for a Crumple-Horned Snorkak. There is a lot of magical history in Sweden, you know."

"Oh, well... that's nice," said Ginny, struggling to keep a straight face.

Ron and Hermione joined them shortly before the lunch trolley came by.

"Great! I'm starved," Ron said as he grabbed a chocolate frog from the large pile of treats they all agreed to share. The six of them sat and talked about many things as the train rolled closer towards Hogwarts: who the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher might be, Luna's adventures in Sweden and England's chances of making it to the Quiddich World Cup. Harry spent most of the trip lost in thoughts; he marveled at the fact that everyone sitting with him risked their lives for him just a few months before. He was never very close with Neville and certainly not Luna, but he felt a certain bond between the six of them due to the events at the beginning of the summer. He vowed at that moment never to put them in harm's way again; no one else was going to sacrifice their lives for him. So many of those he loved gave their lives to save him and he promised himself no one else would have to ever again. His emotions, so close to the surface these days, began to overwhelm him again as his thoughts turned to Sirius and his parents when he realized the compartment was silent. He looked up and saw his companions staring back at him.

"Everything okay, Harry?" asked Hermione.

He smiled. "Yeah, I just wanted to say thanks." He looked at their puzzled faces and went on. "You know, I never got a chance to tell you all at the end of last term, but thanks for coming with me to the ministry. I'm sorry I put you all in so much risk and I'm sorry things turned out to be such a mess," he said.

"Well, what are friends for?" said Luna, smiling at him.

"Thphsritarrty." Ron was attempting (and failing) to speak with his mouth still full of frog. Hermione and Ginny both rolled their eyes, but Harry, Neville and Luna laughed. Ron swallowed hard and tried again. "That's right, Harry. We'll always be there for you whether you like it or not."

"I don't want anyone else to die for me," Harry said darkly. "Azkaban won't hold the death eaters for long and ..."

"That's right, Potter," a drawling voice interrupted. Standing in the doorway of the compartment was Draco Malfoy and his cronies Crabbe and Goyle. "They will break out soon enough and all your blood-traitor and mudblood friends will die right alongside you."

"You know," Harry said to him, "you seem to make a habit of showing up to annoy us at the beginning of every school year. Don't you have anything better to do?" Without waiting for Malfoy to respond, he continued. "You look different from when I saw you last, Malfoy. I guess your mum _didn't_ like you more as a slug. We really thought she would since you were much better looking as one." The little color that was in Malfoy's face slowly drained away as Harry and his friends laughed at him.

"I heard you need a werewolf for a bodyguard, Potter. Not scared of the Dark Lord, are you?" Malfoy shot back.

"I'm less scared of him than you are, I'd wager," Harry said coolly.

"I'd watch your back if I were you, Potter," Malfoy said as he moved down the hallway with Crabbe and Goyle in his wake.

They all enjoyed another good laugh as the remembered Malfoy, Crabbe and Goyle's mangled forms in the train at the end of last term, but as their laughter died down Harry's mind turned back to Sirius and the prophecy. He wanted to tell Hermione, but he was reluctant about telling Neville, Luna or even Ginny. _Still,_ he thought, _they all helped and defended me at the Ministry of Magic, and they have a right to know why they risked their lives._

"So, anyway," he began, "like I was saying, Azkaban won't hold the death eaters forever and you need to understand why I don't want you all involved, why I have to face Voldemort alone." Everyone was staring at him, wide-eyed and eager despite their shudders at the mention of Voldemort's name, and after a glance at Ron for support, he took a deep breath and continued. "The prophecy the death eaters were after in the Department of Mysteries was about me and Voldemort, which you probably gathered from seeing my name on the orb with his."

"I thought the prophecy smashed and no one heard what it said," Ginny interrupted.

"It did, but Dumbledore heard it and he showed me his memory of it in his pensive. The short version of that actual prophecy says that the only one who can conquer Voldemort for good was born at the end of July 16 years ago." He paused, considering whether or not to tell Neville the prophecy might have been about him, but decided against it and went on. "It also said that Voldemort would 'mark him as his equal' and that 'neither can live while the other survives'." He took another deep breath and plunged on. "The prophecy was talking about me. I was marked as Voldemort's equal by his own hand, so I am the only one who can defeat him for good. I'm supposed to have some sort of power he doesn't have, and he has tried to kill me my whole life because that power might destroy him. The only problem is, I don't have that power, or at least I don't know how to use it. But that's why you guys can't get involved!" he said desperately. "This is my burden, and fighting alongside me will only get you killed." He sighed one last time and closed his eyes as he leaned back in his seat. Sudden relief washed over him as the pressure of keeping this secret from his friends dissipated. After a few seconds, he opened his eyes to see them all still staring at him. It came as no surprise to Harry that Hermione spoke first.

"So, if that prophecy is true, then why didn't V-Voldemort die when the killing curse rebounded on him?" she asked.

Harry opened his mouth to respond, and then suddenly closed it again. Why didn't Voldemort die? He already knew that he, Harry, survived because of his mother's sacrifice, but Voldemort didn't have that protection at the time. _So he should have died,_ Harry thought. He pondered this for a minute then shrugged and said, "I dunno. Maybe it has to come directly from my hand; maybe _I_ have to do the killing curse myself; I mean, he said the curse and it just sort of bounced off me so I guess his own curse can't kill him. Only a curse from me can, I suppose."

Hermione looked skeptical, but before she could go on Neville asked, "who made the prophecy, Harry?"

"Professor Trelawney," answered Harry with a smirk. "She told it to Dumbledore when he was interviewing her for the Divination position

Hermione laughed aloud so suddenly that even Luna jumped. "_That_ old bat made the prophecy? Well, then you have nothing to worry about, Harry!" she said.

"You shouldn't laugh, Hermione," Luna said absentmindedly without looking up from her paper.

"Why? She's got a point, you know," Ron said. "Trelawney's a right old fraud. Maybe Hermione's right, Harry. I never thought of that before."

"Trelawney may be a fraud in class, but her great-great-grandmother was very gifted, so it is entirely possible she could actually manifest and make a real prediction," Luna said.

Ron rolled his eyes and looked at Harry as if expecting him to immediately disagree with Luna, but Harry said, "She's right, Ron. Trelawney has made two real predictions. Well, two that people have heard, anyway. The first was the prophecy about Voldemort and me to Dumbledore, and the second was to me in our third year- Ginny and Luna's second year."

Ron and Hermione looked mutinous. "You never told us that! Why didn't you...?" Hermione began. Harry held up his hand and interrupted her.

"I forgot all about it when I saw you guys afterwards and you told me Buckbeak was going to be executed. Trelawney made a prediction just as I was leaving the final exam about Wormtail breaking free to help Voldemort rise to power again. After she told me, she had no idea that she had said anything important at all. When I told her what she had said she looked at me as if _I_ was crazy. I have a feeling after Dumbledore heard the first prophecy he knew she would make another significant prediction, and that's why he hired her even though she had no real obvious talent," Harry added with a chuckle. "So Luna's right, Hermione, and she may make more predictions now Voldemort is back."

Luna looked up at these words from Harry and she caught his eye again. She was different somehow, not in a grown-up way like Ginny since Luna was always somewhat grown-up, but her dreamy expression was wise and kind. His stomach contracted once more, but since no one noticed, he decided to ignore it as well. After a few moments of silence, Ginny spoke up.

"Well, I don't know about anyone else, but I'm not going to let you carry this burden on your own, Harry," she said.

"Yeah," said Ron and Neville together.

"That's right, Harry," said Hermione.

"But..." Harry began.

"Look," Ginny interrupted, "I understand if you feel you have to face You-Know-Who alone, but that doesn't mean you have to face his death eaters alone as well!"

"We've been through this before, Harry. We're coming with you," Neville said with a smile.

Harry looked around at all the stubborn faces of his friends, and he felt his pain lessen somehow. Slowly, he accepted defeat at last and smiling he simply said, "Thanks." They beamed at the sincerity in his voice. In the depths of his brain, however, he knew he would never let them help him. He couldn't bear the thought of losing anyone else important in his life.

**XxxxxxxxxxxXxxxxxxxxxxX**

A short while later they arrived at Hogwarts, and Ron and Hermione rushed off to help the first years find their way. Harry expected to hear Hagrid's familiar voice as he climbed off the train, but for the second year in a row the deep, gruff sound of Hagrid did not come. _He must be on another mission for Dumbledore,_ thought Harry gloomily. He missed Hagrid over the summer and felt extremely bad for acting so rudely towards him at the end of term. _But what happened with Grawp?_ Harry wondered, secretly hoping the giant was no longer a resident of the forbidden forest. He headed for the carriages and stopped at one to pet the head of the thestral pulling it. He knew thestrals would forever remind him of the Ministry of Magic and his thoughts moved to Sirius again. The glowing eyes looked up at him and a chill ran up his spine even though he knew the thestrals were tame; thestrals reminded him of death when he first learned of them, and now that feeling intensified dramatically.

Suddenly realizing how odd he must look since not everyone could see the thestrals, he turned to climb into the carriage. As he did so, he found himself face to face with Luna Lovegood and jumped so much he nearly fell over.

"Luna, you scared the hell out of me! How long have you been there?" he demanded.

"Long enough," she said with a vague smile. "Climb in; I see Ron and Hermione heading towards us," she said as she gestured at the carriage. Harry looked at Luna longer than he meant to; she was different somehow, and he remembered how sorry he felt for her at the end of the school year.

"Did you find all your things before you left school?" he asked.

"Oh, yes," she answered. "My things always turn up."

Harry then climbed into the carriage behind her, followed by Hermione and a disheveled looking Ron.

"These first years are cheeky," he said grumpily. "I bet the really bad ones end up in Slytherin- they think they are so tough now You-Know-Who is back. Where's Ginny?"

"Sharing a carriage with Neville," answered Luna, her protuberant eyes gazing at Ron curiously. He either did not notice or did not care.

"I wonder where Hagrid is," said Hermione. "I hope he's alright."

Harry nodded but Ron sat up suddenly and said, "Oh! Dad mentioned something about that, and I forgot to tell you! Apparently, the giants he talked to last summer- you know the ones against Golgomath- contacted Dumbledore and said they were willing to fight for him! So Dumbledore sent Hagrid back to negotiate with them."

"That's wonderful... but, oohh, what if Golgomath catches them?" Hermione wondered fearfully.

"Hagrid's tough. He can handle himself," said Harry.

"Yeah, and with a bloody giant army behind him he will be more than fine," added Ron.

When the carriages finally reached the school, the four headed toward the Great Hall where they met up with Ginny and Neville. Luna said goodbye and left to sit at the Ravenclaw table, and Harry found himself watching her walk away and suddenly felt a strange need to want to protect her. Lupin jostled him back to his senses when he came over to the Gryffindor table. He smiled at everyone then said to Harry, "Dumbledore would like to see you, Harry."

Harry looked crestfallen so Lupin added, "Don't worry; we'll be back for the feast."

Reluctantly, Harry followed Lupin into the entrance hall and up the stairs to Dumbledore's office. Lupin gave the password ("Skiving Snackbox") to the gargoyle, which promptly sprang to life and jumped aside allowing them to proceed up the twisting staircase. Lupin, not bothering to knock, held the door open for Harry whose attention turned immediately to Professor McGonigall holding his Firebolt.

"Hello, Mr. Potter," she said. "I have some good news: your Quiddich ban has been lifted and the headmaster and I decided to name you captain of the Gryffindor team."

"Wow!" Harry exclaimed. "I don't know what to say," he said as he reached out for his broomstick.

"You don't need to say anything, Potter. I can tell by your expression that you accept." She handed the Firebolt over with a slight smile and added, "And do try to win again, Potter. Find some good players because I have become accustomed to seeing the Cup in my office."

"Thanks, Professor," said Harry gratefully, and with that Professor McGonigall left the office.

Harry was still examining his broom when Dumbledore spoke for the first time. "Hello, Harry. Are you well?" he asked.

Harry shrugged. "Alright, I guess."

"I trust Professor Lupin has told you he will be remaining at Hogwarts to, among other things, keep and eye on you." Harry nodded. "Very well. He will also help you with Occlumency and re-establishing the DA, although I think it would be more... _appropriate_ to rename it the 'Defense Association' as opposed to the alternative," Dumbledore said with a twinkle in his old eyes. Harry nodded again and Dumbledore looked inquisitively at him. "Is there something bothering you, Harry?" Dumbledore asked.

"No," Harry lied. He thought for a moment and then said, "Actually there is, Professor." He took a deep breath and confessed to Lupin and Dumbledore everything he overheard the night after his attack on Kreacher. Dumbledore waited for him to finish before speaking.

"What is it you want to know, Harry?" he asked.

Harry gaped at him and felt his temper rise. "I want to know if it's true! And why you never told me!" he exclaimed. Dumbledore's desk began to tremble and Lupin took a step back from Harry in alarm. Dumbledore didn't budge, so Harry went on. "How am I supposed to control my emotions if you keep hiding things from me? Even after what you told me last year you still insist on lying to me!"

"First of all, Harry," Dumbledore began firmly, "take a deep breath and calm down." Harry did so reluctantly and the desk stopped shaking. "Secondly," Dumbledore continued, "I have never lied to you nor will I ever lie to you, but you must understand that even though we had our talk and I said it _was_ a mistake to keep certain things from you, I cannot and will not divulge all information about the Order to you. You do not need to know all of it and it is not your responsibility."

"But it is!" Harry argued. "It _is_ my responsibility! I am the only one who can stop Voldemort for good and if I have to give my life for a cause then..."

"WHAT!" Lupin yelled suddenly.

Dumbledore sighed and placed his folded hands on his desk. Harry couldn't believe his ears.

"You never told him? He's the only family I have left and he doesn't even know?" Harry asked incredulously.

"Tell me what? What's going on, Albus? What's this about?" Lupin asked.

"The prophecy Lord Voldemort was trying to steal last year says that a boy born at the end of July 16 years ago would be the only one with the power to defeat Voldemort for good..."

"Yes, I know," Lupin interrupted, "but you never told me about Harry having to give his life."

"Well," Harry explained grumpily, "part of the section of the prophecy Voldemort didn't hear says _neither can live while the other survives_."

"Who made the prophecy again?" Lupin asked.

"Sybil Trelawney did, as I was interviewing her for the open divination position over sixteen years ago," said Dumbledore softly. "I only told a small number of people the full contents, Remus, because the more people who knew it, the more lives were at risk. Sirius knew because I needed him to keep am eye on Harry and he insisted on knowing why," Dumbledore continued.

"What do you mean 'the more lives were at risk'? Why would knowing the prophecy be dangerous?" Harry asked.

"Harry, we went through great lengths to protect the last part of the prophecy, and Voldemort would do whatever it took to learn it including torture and murder. So therefore, I believed the less people who knew about it, the better," Dumbledore replied, sighing deeply as he finished.

"Be that as it may Albus," Lupin continued, "Harry's right. If it comes down to giving his life he needs to know almost everything that is happening, otherwise it seems like you are just using him as your pawn..."

"Dumbledore stood up so fast at these words that Lupin and Harry started. "Remus, I have a lot of respect for you and your concern for Harry," he said, his power pulsing through the room. "But please do not think that I would use Harry in such a way. He is very important to our cause, yes, but you should know I am more concerned with his safety and happiness. He cannot escape his destiny, but until he is ready he needs to be protected."

"Why are both of you talking about me like I'm not here?" Harry asked angrily. Both Dumbledore and Lupin smiled, and the mood lightened a little.

"Alright, Harry. I will tell you what I know about your power," Dumbledore said finally. "I told you at the end of last term that Voldemort could not bear to reside in a body so full of the thing he despises: love. There is so much love inside you, not just from your mother but also from every single person that has ever defended or helped you in any way. Love is why Voldemort couldn't touch you your first year and why he could not possess you last year. Now, the downside to this is the fact that your love is tied directly to your emotions; just as you can feel love through happiness, you can feel hatred through anger. Unfortunately, your anger is the first of your powers that you have tapped; if you had learned of this incredible power through happiness the situation might have been different, but because of your suffering the anger is surfacing instead." Dumbledore paused to look at Harry, and Harry realized he was on the edge of his seat leaning very close to Dumbledore's desk. He scooted back and Lupin continued the story.

"The reason we are concerned about your anger, Harry, is because you have so much power that you could potentially do some damage if you don't learn to control it."

"What do you mean, 'do some damage'?" Harry asked. Lupin cast Dumbledore a significant look and Harry, looking between the two of them asked, "What? What is it?"

Dumbledore sighted again and said, "Harry, if someone makes you angry enough, you could destroy the whole school."

Harry sat awestruck at what Dumbledore said. How was that possible? How could he have so much power?

Dumbledore saw the worried look on his face and attempted to raise his spirits. "Do not worry, Harry; we will help you as much as we can. But this is why it is so important that you continue Occlumency so you can close yourself off from emotion in order to control your temper," said Dumbledore. "You will begin lessons Tuesday evening, and since Quiddich practices will very likely take up a lot of spare time, I suggest you consult your friends to decide on a weekly time for DA meetings. I should also tell you that if you are ever in trouble and cannot apparate for any reason, the pendant- yes, I know about your gift from Sirius," he added, "the pendent is also a one-use-only portkey to the school. If you use it, you must see me after so I can reactivate it. Now, let's head down to the feast; I'm starving," he said with a laugh.

"We can talk more later if you want, Harry," said Lupin quietly. "I will see that your broom gets taken up to your room."

Harry nodded, and the three of them headed to the Great Hall once again for the feast. Harry found his seat with Ron and Hermione as Lupin and Dumbledore made their way up to the staff table.

"What was _that_ all about?" Ron asked.

"I'll tell you later," Harry whispered, noticing that Dumbledore was about to speak.

"Welcome all to another year at Hogwarts!" Dumbledore began. "I have a few announcements to make before the feast commences. Each house will hold Quiddich tryouts on the first week of October for all who are interested in helping their house compete for the Cup. Also, we have three new changes to the staff this year. Professor Hagrid will be spending the rest of the school year abroad, so I would like to welcome back Professor Grubbly-Plank who will be taking over Care for Magical Creatures lessons."

Clearly mixed applause following this statement; the Gryffindor table was unenthusiastic about Hagrid's absence, but a good portion of the rest of the school was happy to have Grubbly-Plank back.

"Second," Dumbledore continued, "we have appointed a new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher due to the annual vacancy we seem to continue to get, and I am happy to announce that the position will be filled by none other than our own Professor Snape."

"WHAT!" Ron yelled so loud Hermione elbowed him in the ribs. Ron's face turned quite red as others giggled at him and he immediately fell silent, but Harry thought he saw Dumbledore smile slightly in their direction.

"The vacancy for Potions master, then, has been filled by a new member to our staff. I would like to introduce Professor Erus Venenum. Good luck, professor," Dumbledore said. Half-hearted applause filled the Great Hall since no one really cared about anything at that point except eating their full share of the wonderful food to come. Dumbledore seemed to have noticed this because he said, "Well then, I'm starved; let's eat!" He waved his hands and the tables magically filled with mountains of food that the students groped for immediately.

"Umiththsortg," Ron said to Harry while stuffing his own face with mashed potatoes.

"Honestly, Ron!" Hermione scoffed. "He means to say that you missed the sorting. The Sorting Hat sang another song of warning, and he hinted that the battle may begin from within," she said.

Harry pondered this then said, "Well, sitting in Dumbledore's office probably clues him into things; too bad we can't have a sorting every month so we could find out new information from him."

"Yeah," agreed Ron as he swallowed his food. "So what did Dumbledore want, then?"

Harry told them what Dumbledore said about his powers and, seeing the frightened look on their faces, he tried ending on a lighter note by telling them about his Quiddich captaincy. The subject change seemed to work on Ron because he said, "Wow! That's wicked!" but it did not work on Hermione.

"Yes, that is wonderful, but oh, Harry, you'll have to be really careful about your powers!"

"I know, Hermione, but I don't really want to talk about it right now, okay? Dumbledore already set Occlumency lessons with Lupin for me," Harry said.

"Well good luck with _that_, mate," Ron said with a sarcastic smile, "but at least it's better than Snape. I can't believe Dumbledore made that git our Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher. What is he thinking?" he said as he made a rude gesture at Snape.

"Maybe it won't be so bad," said Hermione. "Besides, it's probably the reason Harry got into N.E.W.T. Potions without an 'Outstanding'."

"What do you mean, 'it won't be so bad'? I thought I would never have to sit in that slimy git's classes ever again, but now I'm stuck!" Ron argued.

The two bickered for a while but, being so used to it, Harry easily ignored them. He focused on finishing his second piece of apple-rhubarb pie and he began to notice the dying chatter in the Hall. Groans of full stomachs and sighs of tired bodies filled the room, so Dumbledore got up and spoke once more.

"Very well. If the prefects would please escort the new students to their dormitories, you will find your belongings are waiting for you. Your schedules will be handed out tomorrow morning at breakfast. Good evening!"

Groggy from the feast, Ron and Harry made to leave the Great hall and head up to Gryffindor tower, but Hermione held Ron back.

"Come _on _Ron! We have to tell the first years where to go, Ron!" she said.

"Let the fifth year prefects do it, Hermione. I'm tired, and anyway those kids are brats."

Hermione rolled her eyes and ran off yelling, "First Years! Over here please! Follow me!"

"She is going to go more mental than she is already if she doesn't relax, you know. What a control freak," muttered Ron.

"You like her that way, Ron." Harry didn't mean to say this aloud, and by the look on Ron's face, it was the wrong thing to say. Harry tried to recover quickly. "Just joking, mate. You should lighten up too, you know."

Ron's face softened. "Yeah, I guess you're right."

The two walked slowly up the stairs to Gryffindor Tower together, chatting and laughing about nothing in particular, and Harry finally began to relax.

"Hey, Ron? Would you mind helping me come up with new Quiddich practices? I could really use some new ideas; I mean, I need to devise some new flying techniques and you know more about Quiddich than anyone I know. I figured you could be my co-captain or something," Harry said uncertainly.

Ron's ears turned red but he gladly accepted. "Sure, mate! Can we get started on some new plans tomorrow, then? The chasers for the Chudley Canons have this weird formation I could draw for you."

"Definitely. I finally have something to take my mind off the prophecy and... other stuff." Ron knew Harry was talking about Sirius, so he didn't question this statement further.

They met up with Hermione in the common room as soon as they climbed into the portrait hole, and she looked rather miffed.

"You're right, Ron," she said. Harry and Ron both gaped at her; Hermione never admitted that Ron was right about _anything_. "Some of those first years are brats. _I_ certainly don't remember being that disrespectful when we were first years. Still, we ended up with some of the better ones; Slytherin got the horrible bunch. Well, this at least makes me feel better about talking to McGonigall about lessening my Prefect duties since I am taking a full load of N.E.W.T. classes... what?" she asked, looking between Harry and Ron.

Ron reached out and put his hand on her forehead, which caused her face to flush red. "Are you feeling okay, Hermione? I mean, you're not sick or trying to win a bet or anything, right?" Ron asked with a smirk.

She pushed his hand off her head and said, "Ronald Weasley, just because I work hard all the time doesn't mean I think I shouldn't relax! You should take a lesson and try _not_ relaxing once in a while!"

"A Weasley at his best," said Harry, smiling at Ron. "Can you two save this argument for the morning? I'm exhausted."

Ron looked as if he wanted to say something back at Hermione, but he bit his tongue and mumbled, "Goodnight" as she headed up for the girl's Dormitory. Then he and Harry headed the opposite direction to their rooms. Ron's mood changed almost immediately, however, once he saw the Firebolt lying on Harry's bed.

"Feels good to be back, doesn't it?" he asked Harry.

"Yeah, it really does," Harry answered, and without another word, he climbed into his four-poster, closed his eyes and fell asleep.

A/N: Don't forget to review and vote! thanks again for your support!


	9. Back to Occlumency

A/N: Yay! Thanks for your patience, and thank you all so much for reading, reviewing and voting! Now, before I announce the winner, I just want to say that I hope I don't deter anyone from reading my story. So, in case you haven't been checking the reviews, this is the winner of the poll:  
Ginny... by a landslide! But for all of you that didn't vote for her please, please, please keep reading! it won't be a major part of the story... so hopefully you won't be bugged. Enjoy!

And, again, Thanks to Ryan for betaing... you rock my socks off!

**Chapter Nine: Back to Occlumency**

The next morning Professor McGonagall handed out the class schedules and, as they all expected, Hermione had the fullest load out of any of the 6th years. In fact, the only class she dropped was Astronomy. Harry and Ron had just about the same schedule, except Ron was not taking Potions.

"Now I wish I would have tried a little harder on my Potions O.W.L. since Snape isn't teaching it anymore," Ron mentioned over breakfast. "I thought I was going to be rid of him once and for all, but now I'm stuck with him teaching my favorite subject."

"Well, at least Dumbledore's letting us reform the DA," said Hermione. "Plus, we won't have to hide it from anyone this year, which I think will make the experience that much more enjoyable."

"Come on, we're going to be late for Potions," Harry said to Hermione. "See you next period, Ron?"

"Yeah, sure," Ron replied grumpily.

Harry and Hermione headed down to the dungeons for Potions, and when they reached the classroom and opened the door, they both gave gasps of surprise at the world they had just stepped in. The classroom barred no resemblance to Professor Snape's gloomy, dank environment; potion recipes and shelves of smoking and bubbling liquid in jars covered the walls, and a poster of potions ingredients behind the professor's desk that Harry thought looked a lot like the muggle periodic table of elements. The classroom was surprisingly bathed in sunlight as well, which seemed to be coming from small, slotted windows at the top of the back wall that Harry had not known existed. Harry and Hermione looked around in awe until someone spoke from the front of the room.

"When the two of you decide to return to Earth I would love to have you join us," said Professor Venenum.

"Sorry, Professor!" squeaked Hermione, and she and Harry both took their seats.

Erus Venenum was a young man, probably no older than thirty-five by Harry's estimate. His chin-length dirty blonde hair was pulled back in a low ponytail, and his bright blue eyes shone out through loose strands of hair hanging over his face. Harry had not seen Hermione look so enthralled with a teacher since Lockhart in their second year; in fact, he wanted to tell her to stop drooling all over herself, but he remembered how respectful she was of his idiocy around Cho. _And besides,_ he thought, _making fun of Hermione is more Ron's job, anyway._ Harry laughed to himself at what Ron's reaction might be if he saw Hermione staring at Professor Venenum the way she was.

"In case anyone was not paying attention last night at dinner," the professor began, "my name is Erus Venenum. I've never really liked my name, but I am stuck with it because my parents love Latin. My name is quite a mouthful, however, so you may call me Professor Ven if you would like. Very well; shall we press on then?"

At the end of the period, Harry felt he had just experienced the best potions lesson of his wizarding life. Just like his Potions O.W.L., Harry's mind was clear and focused on the task at hand without Snape's presence, and he told Ron later that he actually enjoyed himself.

Harry, Ron and Hermione then headed out to the grounds together for Care for Magical Creatures. Even though Harry knew he would be learning about some very interesting creatures at NEWT level, he admitted that he only took the class because Hagrid was teaching it; now he had no interest in the class despite the high caliber of Grubbly-Plank's teaching. Harry was also disappointed to see that they still shared the period with the Slytherins; Harry felt that Malfoy would have certainly dropped this class if it weren't for the fact that Malfoy enjoyed tormenting Hagrid so much, and this was the only reason Harry was glad that Hagrid was not around.

After Care for Magical Creatures, Ron and Harry had a free period while Hermione headed to Arithmancy, then the three of them headed down to lunch. Most of the sixth year Gryffindors spent the time discussing what Snape would be like in their upcoming Defense Against the Dark Arts class. Harry and Ron ate as slowly as their hunger would allow them so they could stall having to go to class, but Hermione's nagging about being late finally inspired them to head to class. Even though Harry was dreading having Snape as a teacher once more, he at least felt confident in the subject matter and felt that Snape couldn't sabotage him as he did so often in Potions.

The three of them entered the classroom and sat towards the back. Harry looked around and was relieved to see a classroom full of only Gryffindors, many of whom were in the DA. Snape was looking extraordinarily smug, even more than usual, perhaps because he finally had the job he wanted for over six years. Snape began criticism almost immediately.

"For a sixth year class, you are extremely behind in defensive spells. I attribute this partially to your substandard teaching, but knowing _this_ group it is also most likely due to lack of intelligence," he said, a wide grin spreading across his face. "I have it from the headmaster that Mr. Potter took it upon himself last year to teach many of you some simple yet useless spells..."

"They weren't simple and they weren't useless!" argued Parvati.

"Do not interrupt me, Miss Patil!" Snape yelled. "I _am_ sorry to disappoint you, but Mr. Potter will not be teaching _this_ class. We will begin this year by learning actual defense rather than worthless jinxes. Turn to page twenty, and someone tell me what the most powerful blocking spells are."

After class the disgruntled Gryffindor sixth years filed into the hallway, most complaining that Snape was worse now than he was teaching Potions. Harry had a feeling that Snape was going to torment him even more now because he would want to challenge Harry's knowledge of Defense Against the Dark Arts.

_Bring it on,_ Harry thought, but then remembered he was supposed to control his temper. _How am I supposed to do that with Snape goading me all the time?_ he asked himself.

Ron and Hermione joined Neville to head to the greenhouses for Herbology, and since Harry opted not to take this class, he headed for Lupin's private office.

"Come in, Harry," came Lupin's voice from behind the door as Harry knocked.

"How did you know it was me?" Harry asked as he walked into the office.

"Even though the full moon just passed, I still have heightened senses," Lupin answered, tapping his nose. "One benefit of being a werewolf is the fact that I am very hard to sneak up on. What's on your mind?"

"I know we have Occulmency tomorrow night," Harry began, "but I was wondering if we could move it to after my Charms class just before dinner. I have a free period then, so that way I won't be so busy in the evening once Quiddich season starts."

"I think that would be fine," said Lupin. "Did you figure out a time for the DA to meet?"

Harry shook his head. "No, but do you really think we need it now that Snape is Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher?"

Lupin pursed his lips at the mention of Snape and Harry got the impression that Dumbledore's decision to appoint Snape in that position did not sit well with Lupin. "Well, extra practice never hurt anyone," Lupin said finally. "How are you doing with everything else?"

"Fine, I guess," Harry shrugged. "I mean, learning you can blow up the entire school with just anger can mellow you out, even if it is hard to grasp."

Lupin smiled and said, "I know, Harry, but try not to think about it."

Harry nodded, then pulled out his Occlumency book Hermione gave him for his birthday and showed it to Lupin. "I can't find anything about turning off my emotions in here," he said.

"You don't need to turn them completely off, Harry," Lupin answered as he flipped through the book, "you just need to control them. Here, read this chapter." Lupin stopped on a chapter entitled "Emotion Strain: Keeping Your Emotions From Making You Emotional".

Harry and Lupin sat for a while longer, talking about school, Quiddich and other things. Harry asked Lupin what he thought of Professor Ven, but Lupin responded by saying he did not know much about him at all. At the end of the free period, Harry said goodbye and was almost out the door when Lupin called back at him.

"Hold on, Harry, you forgot your book."

"Oh, right. Thanks," Harry said. Lupin stood and held the book out and Harry walked toward him to retrieve it. When he was a few feet from Lupin, Harry held out his hand to take the book when suddenly it flew out of Lupin's grasp and into Harry's outstretched hand. They both stood there in shock, staring at the book.

"But...wait, what just happened?" said a bewildered Harry. "I didn't say _Accio_ or anything... I didn't even think it."

Lupin looked just as puzzled. "Wandless magic is not unheard of," he said, "but it never manifests itself this early in someone. This is a good sign, though. It means the power in you can obey your commands, whether you are aware of those commands or not. Maybe we can work on this as well as Occlumency tomorrow."

"Er... okay," said Harry uncertainly. "Well, bye then," he said, and then he left the office and proceeded to the Great hall for dinner.

Harry met up with Ron and Hermione a few moments later, both of whom were covered in dirt and smelling slightly of dragon dung. They sat down at the Gryffindor table next to Neville (who also smelled a little but had considerably less dirt on him), Seamus and Ginny.

"Uck, Ron, you stink," said Ginny, waving her hand in front of her nose as her brother took a seat next to her. "What did you do, bathe in dragon crap?"

Ron glared at his sister and said, "You try repotting plants that vomit their own soil and fertilizer on you and see how you like it."

During dinner, Harry wasted no time in telling his two best friends what happened in Lupin's office. Ron seemed just as shocked as Harry was, but surprisingly Hermione seemed unphased by the information.

"Well, you've done wandless magic before, Harry," she told him.

"No I haven't," Harry argued at the same moment Ron said, "No he hasn't!"

Hermione continued eating and without looking up she said, "Yes, you have. You practically melted Voldemort – for crying out loud, Ron! – in your first year when he was disguised as Quirrel..."

"But that was my mum's protection..." Harry protested, but Hermione plunged on.

"You blew up your aunt in third year, and you can break glass and shake desks. Harry, you shook the entire drawing room at Grimmauld Place!"

Harry was beginning to feel aggravated now. "But all of that's just my emotions out of control! It's not the same as what happened in Lupin's office; it's never obeyed a 'command'."

Hermione smiled. "Yes, it has," she said. "Your emotions are unconscious commands. The magic you perform when you're angry is just a manifestation of that feeling."

Harry looked at Ron, hoping he would pipe up and say how mental Hermione was, but Ron looked as if he thought she was right. "You don't actually _agree_ with her, do you?" Harry demanded of Ron.

"Well, it does make sense, Harry," Ron replied cautiously. "And the fact that the book came when you called for it is a sign that you are gaining more control over your powers."

"But I didn't call the book!" Harry insisted.

"You did _unconsciously_, Harry, and Ron is right," said Hermione. "This may be a good sign. I wouldn't worry about it if I were you."

Harry decided it would be a waste of energy to argue anymore, so he dropped the subject. They finished dinner, then headed up to Gryffindor tower and almost immediately went to bed. Harry dreaded the following afternoon, but he knew he had to clear his mind before going to bed, so as he lay awake in his four-poster, he tried to think of nothing and eventually drifted off to sleep.

**XxxxxxxxxxxXxxxxxxxxxxX**

The next day went the same as the last, except they all had different classes. Wednesday and Friday held the same schedule as Monday, but Tuesday and Thursday held the other classes, which were all double periods since they were held only twice a week. Harry's schedule had him in Double Transfiguration in the morning, then a free period, followed by lunch, Double Charms and another free period.

Harry felt his first Transfiguration class of the year was the hardest he ever had. Professor McGonagall told the class that she would be starting them on human transfigurations.

"Not everyone can be an animagus," she began, "so we will evaluate all the sixth years throughout the school year, and _if_ you meet the standard you will attend a special NEWT class in your seventh year, focusing primarily on animagi." Everyone looked around curiously, no doubt wondering who might be chosen. "Meanwhile," McGonagall continued, "we will focus on human transfiguration of another sort. First we will work on defense tactics, such as transfiguring yourself into a statue or a suit of armor to conceal you from enemies."

The class spent most of the double period taking notes and listening to McGonagall's warnings about how dangerous human transfiguration can be. After the end of the lesson, Ron and Harry had a free period while Hermione headed off to Double Ancient Ruins. Harry and Ron decided to play a game of wizard's chess in the library despite Hermione's nags to get ahead in their schoolwork. Hermione returned later, and following lunch the three of them headed to Double Charms with Professor Flitwick. Most of the Gryffindors and Hufflepuffs were happy to find out that Flitwick would be challenging their practical skills; all examinations would be very similar to the practical exam on OWLs. Hermione seemed torn between disappointment and approval but Ron told her, "Oh come on, Hermione, you know you're going to read the book anyway."

"Well, you should too, you know," Hermione shot back.

"Yeah, right!" laughed Ron. "I don't even read when I'm supposed to, so why would I read now that I don't even have to? Hey Harry, where are you going?"

Harry began walking toward the Grand Staircase, then he stopped to answer Ron's question. "To Lupin's office. I have Occlumency, remember?"

"You're not taking History of Magic?" Hermione asked.

"No, and why are you taking it, Ron?" Harry asked, knowing that History of Magic was probably the most boring subject ever invented.

"Well, I... er... Mum wanted me to take an extra class..." Ron replied, red creeping up his ears. Harry had a sneaking suspicion that Ron had taken the class so he could have extra time with Hermione, but he kept his opinion to himself.

"See you at dinner, then," he said, and he turned to the staircase and ascended, heading for Lupin's office once again.

Once there, Harry knocked on Lupin's door and entered the office, his mind on what Lupin might have discovered about his powers.

"Hello, Harry," Lupin said. "Ready to begin?" Harry shrugged, so Lupin said, "I know Snape gave you a hard time about Occlumency, Harry, but it is not as difficult as you might think. The key is to, of course, keep your mind free of any thoughts or emotions that Voldemort might want to exploit. This is much more difficult than it sounds, especially for you, so to begin you might try focusing on one random thought to display. For instance, I am going to try to break into your mind, so I want you to focus on a lie or an unimportant memory, like what you ate for breakfast or something along those lines."

Harry chuckled at the thought of Voldemort trying to extract information from his mind and getting only thoughts of eggs and toast.

"Now, if you can master this task," Lupin continued, "then we can move on to something a little more fun. Eventually I want your mind to be completely blank, but if you find I have broken in too far, try to use magic without your wand. Force me or any other intruder out of your mind by force of sheer will. You have already shown that your magic can be performed out of your subconscious, so try to bring those commands to the surface."

"How am I supposed to learn to do that, though?" Harry asked.

Lupin thought for a moment then said, "I think you won't need to learn it at all; your power is already there. Are you ready now?"

"I think so," Harry answered, and he hurried to clear his mind.

Lupin pointed his wand at Harry and said, "_Legilimens_!"

He was eleven, watching Uncle Vernon burn his Hogwarts letters... he was twelve, looking at a pale and unconscious Ginny Weasley holding a black diary... he was fourteen, shaking on the ground in fear as the death eaters laughed above him...

"Harry? Harry! Stand up." Lupin was kneeling next to him, holding out a hand to help him up. Harry had ended up on the floor in Lupin's office, covered in icy sweat from the memory of the graveyard. He took Lupin's hand, struggled to his feet on shaky legs, and willed his body to stop trembling.

"Are you alright?" Lupin asked. Harry nodded, so Lupin said, "Rest for a moment, and then we will try again. You seemed to not focus on anything, so you need something strong, even if it's a lie."

Harry thought about what he could possibly use to distract his mind; Quiddich was his first thought, but Quiddich led to thoughts and memories of Umbridge and caused his insides to boil with anger and hatred. A few minutes passed, and Harry finally decided to make up a fake memory involving his Aunt and Uncle.

"Okay, I'm ready now," he said.

"Very well," answered Lupin, and he pointed his wand at Harry once more and said, "_Legilimens_!"

Harry squinted in concentration, trying to project his fake memory onto Lupin, but it did not take long for Lupin to break through, and Harry's memories came spilling out again.

Harry was eight, curled in a fetal position on the playground as Dudley and Malcolm kicked him... he was thirteen, watching helplessly as Wormtail scurried away into the forest... he was fifteen, running, reaching for Sirius as he fell...

Harry, in his mind's eye, seemed to fall with Sirius through the veil; his knees hit the ground just as Lupin lifted the spell. Though Lupin had tried to break the connection, he was trapped in Harry's mind as Harry was stuck in a kind of trance.

In his mind, Harry saw ghosts and spirits floating around something on the ground, and he looked down to see Sirius sprawled out on a stone floor, but... Sirius was breathing...

"Sirius!"

There was a loud crash as Harry forced Lupin from his mind and sent him flying across the room where he crashed into his desk. Harry stood up and rushed over to Lupin.

"I'm sorry! I didn't mean to... what?" he asked, seeing Lupin's shocked face.

"Did you see that?" Lupin asked.

"See what?"

"Sirius... alive..."

"Yeah, but that's not my memory... You know I never fell through the archway with him... I thought it was just a dream I don't remember. I have had so many dreams about Sirius... You... you don't think it's an actual memory, do you? Like, Voldemort's memory or something?"

Lupin seemed to be lost in thought, then replied, "That is entirely possible since we know you two are connected."

"But he... I mean... Sirius can't be... _alive_, can he?"

Lupin smiled uncertainly. "No, I don't think so, Harry," he said, but he sounded as if he were trying to convince himself as well as Harry. "That's enough for tonight, I think. Same time next week?"

Harry nodded, then turned and headed for Gryffindor tower, having completely forgotten about dinner. _He can't be alive_, Harry thought. _It must be another trick of Voldemort's or something._

Once he reached the common room, Harry sat in front of the fire in the large armchair and decided that the "memory" must have been a dream he didn't remember.

_Maybe it wasn't Sirius at all_, he thought.

Since everyone was at dinner the common room was completely deserted, for which Harry was supremely grateful. He sat thinking about Occlumency in front of the fire when the portrait door opened and Ginny Weasley came walking into the room.

"Why aren't you at dinner, Harry?" she asked once she spotted him in the armchair.

"I'm not hungry," Harry lied.

"Oh, that's too bad," Ginny replied pretending to be disappointed, "because I told Dobby to bring some dinner up for you here."

Harry looked up to see Ginny smiling at him. Her red hair reflected the red light of the fire, and she seemed to glow from the light surrounding her. Dobby soon came up with platters of food, so Harry thanked him and began to eat.

"Wow, I can really see how not hungry you were," Ginny said with a smirk. "Mind if I join you?"

"Not at all," Harry replied, so she sat on the squashy armchair next to his. After a while, Harry's thoughts turned back to Sirius and he lost track of what he was doing. Ginny watched him poke at his food for a few minutes then reached over and put her hand on his.

"Okay, Harry," she said. "What's the problem?"

"Huh?" he said, now distracted by her hand on his.

"What's wrong?"

His first instinct was to say nothing, but he blurted out the truth before he could stop himself. "I had a vision of Sirius a little while ago during Occlumency. He was alive, Ginny."

"What?" Apparently, this was the last answer Ginny was expecting.

"I saw him, alive but on a stone floor in a dark place," explained Harry. "It couldn't have been real, could it?" He looked at her with pleading eyes, and her expression softened.

She answered him softly, her voice full of pity, "I don't think so, Harry. But if it wasn't your memory, then whose was it?"

Harry shrugged. "It was probably another trick of Voldemort's." Ginny tried (and failed) to hide her shudder at the name. "Listen, Ginny," Harry said, looking her in the eyes, "could you not, I mean... could we keep this between us?"

"Absolutely," she replied without hesitation.

"Thanks." Harry stood up and said, "I'm going to bed, I think. I'll let you know what I find out, if anything. Thanks for... well, thanks."

"It's okay, Harry," Ginny answered. She stood up as well, gave Harry a quick hug (causing his stomach to leap into his throat) and headed back through the portrait hole.

Harry sighed and headed for his dormitory. He changed then got into his four-poster, closed the hangings and put a silencing charm on them. Somehow, Harry knew that tonight his dreams would be less than pleasant. He felt a little guilty about not wanting to tell Ron and Hermione about what he saw, but he knew what they would tell him and he didn't want to hear it. He wanted to believe Sirius was alive because in his heart he knew that no matter how hard he tried, he would never be able to truly let Sirius go.

A/N: Thanks for reading, and don't forget to review! I didn't really like this chapter, but I hope you did, and I know that the next chapter is going to be awsome. Keep reading!


	10. Halloween

A/N: Okay, once again, sorry about the absolutely horrible delay. This is my longest chapter so far (I hope it's not too long!), and also my favorite. I hope you all will like it too. Just a few things before I get started.

--Snitch20: Thanks for giving my story a chance! I love to get new readers, and I hope you like this chapter.

--Phoenix1687: Thanks for your thoughts… they are always taken into consideration!

--Melindaleo: As always, thanks for your wonderful critcism/advice/ideas! They truly are taken into the fullest consideration and I appreciate them!

--Wolfawaken: Thanks for all the compliments!

--Nemi Jade: Please don't destroy your school! ;)

--Chica91: Thanks for keeping up with my story!

And to quizgil, JoLizard and every single other wonderful reviewers not mentioned by name, thank you thank you thank you for all your wonderful input and compliments!

Disclaimer: I don't own the Harry Potter universe or any of the characters, but I wish I did…..

**--Chapter Ten: Halloween--**

The rest of September passed without incident. Harry never saw another vision of Sirius, and Lupin never brought it up. His Occlumency was progressing nicely, but his wandless magic was still entirely out of control. Harry was now able to force Lupin out of his mind on the first try, but he could not produce any false images to display, and every time he tried his frustration would result in sending Lupin flying across the room. On the other hand, Harry's academics improved so much that Hermione was struggling to stay ahead of him.

"You don't even have to try!" Hermione said angrily during Charms one day. After only three tries, Harry managed to cause his frog to take the texture and color of his desk using the disillusionment charm; it took Hermione two tries.

"Oh come on, Hermione," Harry protested. "I thought you would be happy that I'm doing so well. Besides, you're still way more book-smart than I am, plus my magic is totally out of control most of the time, anyway."

Students enjoyed the cool weather outdoors, taking in the autum air and relishing the fact that they were back at Hogwarts. The excited attitudes of returning to school began to fade as October approached, however. October was always the month of the unexpected, and this year, because of Lord Voldemort's return, a dark cloud seemed to sit over Hogwarts as if preparing to rain down something terrible. Harry's feelings of unease began when Cho Chang approached him for the first time that year in the Great Hall at lunch. Harry never really expected her to talk to him ever again, and after she talked to him, he wished he had been right.

"Hi, Harry," said Cho quietly.

"Er… hi," answered Harry, not looking at her.

"Did… did you have a good summer? Oh, I'm sorry, of course you didn't," she corrected herself, her face turning crimson. "I'm really sorry about… about your godfather. I read about him in the _Daily Prophet_."

"Thanks," Harry said dryly.

Cho's shade of red did not fade. "I wanted to say that I… I'm really sorry about what happened last year. I really do like you and…"

"Listen, Cho," Harry interrupted, "Before you begin, I'm not interested anymore. I really don't have anything to say to you." And with that he turned his back on her and walked out of the Great Hall, never turning back to look at her. He later felt a little guilty about being so harsh, but he was not prepared for the encounter and dwelling on it made him uncomfortable.

Most of the students tried to ignore the looming feeling of dread, and the teachers attempted to distract them with homework, quizzes and talk of Quiddich tryouts and Hogsmede visits. Quiddich tryouts were held the first weekend of October, so Ron and Harry spent most of the last weeks of September preparing new formations and strategies. Ron especially liked the idea Harry based on a Muggle movie about hockey.

"It's bloody brilliant, Ginny!" Ron said excitedly over breakfast on the day of tryouts. "What was it called, Harry? The 'flying c' or something?"

"It's called the 'flying v' for the tenth time," Harry answered with a laugh.

"Oh, yeah," Ron said. "Well anyway, it's brilliant."

Harry felt tryouts went extremely well. He was a bit concerned at first considering last year's turnout, but this year he actually had a hard time picking new team members. Since Alicia Spinnet and Angelina Johnson graduated there were two spots to fill; even though Harry and Ron secretly hoped that Andrew Kirke and Jack Sloper would not return as beaters, both were pleased to see that they had greatly improved over the summer. About thirteen hopefuls showed up for the tryouts, including Ginny. Ginny's spot on the team was guaranteed as far as Harry was concerned since she was on the team last year. After a couple of hours, Harry and Ron thanked everyone and headed to the locker room to announce their decision.

"You all were really good today," Harry began, "but unfortunately we only have room for two players. The first spot goes to Ginny Weasley." Ginny blushed and Harry waited for the applause to die down before continuing. "And the second and final chaser spot goes to… Ewan Abercrombie!" Evan, who had not grown much since the previous year, shrunk down in his seat as everyone clapped for him. "So thanks again for trying out, everyone," Harry said, "and for all team members, remember our first official practice is this Monday."

When Monday evening came along, Harry felt renewed after flying on his Firebolt and even more so at the sight of his new team flying together.

"Slytherin doesn't stand a chance!" Ron said happily after practice.

"Don't get too excited, Ron," warned Ginny. "The Sytherins have new broomsticks again this year along with a bunch of new players."

"Just as long as they're not Firebolts, I could care less," said Harry, but his curiosity got the best of him. "What are they?"

"It's a new brand released to compete with the Firebolt, called Dragonwing, I think."

"The Sytherins can't tell the back end of their broom from the front anymore than they can tell their asses from their face," piped in Katie Bell. "I'm not worried, no matter what their brooms are."

The team headed for dinner together a little while later, and many Gryffindors congratulated them, saying that they watched their practice and how they knew the team would win the cup again for sure. After dinner, Ron, Harry and Hermione headed for the common room and found a new message on the bulletin board. Posted next to a new advertisement for Skiving Snackbox (secretly posted by Ginny) was the new list of dates for Hogsmede trips, the first of which was the following Saturday. Harry was looking forward to this trip despite the looming nervousness about October; he had not been to Hogsmede in almost a year, and the thought of butterbeer from the Three Broomsticks made his mouth water.

Halfway through the week, Ginny came up to Harry and asked him if she could go with him into Hogsmede. Taken aback, Harry said, "Er… sure, I guess. I mean, it's not that I don't want you too…" Ginny smiled at his awkwardness. "It's just that I'll be with Ron and Hermione too."

"That's okay," Ginny replied. "There's this fifth year that wanted to take me there, but I really don't like him, so I told him I was going with you. I hope that's okay; maybe we can still spend some time together."

Hermione, who had been listening to the conversation said, "Oh, good Ginny, you're coming with us, then! I need you to spread the word to the fifth years that we are having a DA meeting at the Three Broomsticks around 2:00."

"Um… okay," Ginny replied, and without another word she turned and headed for her class. Harry then rounded on Hermione.

"When were you planning on telling _me_ about this little meeting?" he demanded of her.

"Oh, calm down, Harry," she shot back at him. "I just thought about it like, two seconds ago. I figured the first Hogsmede trip would be a good time to get the DA back together, is all. We need to come up with a decent meeting time for everyone."

Harry said nothing to this, but his nervousness intensified as the weekend drew nearer. He knew he might like Ginny, but what if he messed it all up like he did with Cho? He had visions of Ginny storming out of Madam Puddifoot's as Cho did the previous Valentine's Day, but Harry knew that if he screwed up with Ginny he would also be losing a good friend and possibly jeopardizing his friendship with Ron as well. Plus, there was always Voldemort to consider; what if he found out Harry's feelings for Ginny? He resolved not to tell Ginny that he cared for her and to just spend time with her as a friend.

Sooner than Harry would have liked, Saturday was upon them. _Just stay calm_, Harry told himself as he watched Ginny walk towards him. Her red hair was tied in a low ponytail and her cheeks were a little more flushed than usual. She looked very pretty.

"Ready to go?" she asked happily. Constricted by the lump in his throat, all Harry could do in response was nod, and so they walked together towards the carriages when suddenly they were stopped by Filch.

"Where do you think you're going, Potter?" he asked.

"Umm… to Hogsmede," answered Harry indifferently as he attempted to move past Filch.

"I don't think so," Filch shot back. "Come along. We shall discuss this with the headmaster."

"You can't be serious!" yelled Ginny, halfway between amused disbelief and anger. Harry noticed that her hair seemed to look redder when her temper flared. "That cow Umbridge is gone and…"

"Hold you're tongue, girl, or you will find yourself in a world of trouble!" spat Filch.

"What is going on here?" Professor McGonagall's voice came from behind them.

"Potter was attempting to go to Hogsmede, Professor, when I know he isn't permitted," Filch said proudly. "I know for a fact that he was banned last year."

"Don't be ridiculous," McGonagall said angrily. "You know just as well as everyone that all rules put down by Dolores Umbridge have been removed." Filch looked extremely disappointed, and McGonagall turned to Harry. "On your way then, Potter." Harry and Ginny turned and climbed into the nearest carriage, leaving Filch and McGonagall to argue among themselves.

It was a clear but chilly day in Hogsmede; the leaves on the trees were turning red and gold, and the crisp, cool feel of autumn was in the air. Many of the shops and houses were decorated for Halloween; Harry always liked Halloween, but many of the masks on display reminded him of the faceless Death Eaters surrounding him and laughing that night in the graveyard. He felt uneasy at the sight of all the costumes and attempted to look at anything but the window displays.

Harry and Ginny walked and window shopped for a while, taking and laughing as they went. Harry was relieved to see that his comfort level with Ginny ended up being much higher than it ever was when he was with Cho.

The first store they entered was Honeydukes, jam-packed as usual with all the Hogwarts students eager to fill their pockets with sweets. Ginny stood on her toes then pointed to a corner where Ron and Hermione were standing.

"Did you see them, mate?" asked Ron as soon as he spotted Harry. "They're up in every window."

"See what?" Harry asked. His attention had mostly been on Ginny once he resolved to ignore the window displays..

"Come with me," Ron said, and he grabbed Ginny and Harry by the wrists and dragged them to the front window. He stopped and pointed to a flyer posted near the door.

_WANTED, DEAD OR ALIVE: BELLATRIX LESTRANGE  
__For the torture and murder of four Hogsmede residents.  
__Miss Lestrange is also wanted for her escape from Azkaban prison._

A jolt of hatred rushed through Harry's body and he felt his temper begin to well up inside him at the sight of her picture. In the photograph (presumably taken as she was sent to Azkaban), her dark eyes darted around until they finally came to rest on Harry, then a horrible, sly grin spread across her face. The surge of anger inside Harry caused his body to release a burst of heat. Harry forced himself to look away from her photograph and focused on the writing just below it.

_Miss Lestrange has been sighted recently in and around the village of Hogsmede.  
__The Ministry of Magic would like to remind all citizens to take extra care when traveling the village, especially at night.  
__DO NOT ATTEMPT TO APPREHEND HER  
__Report any sightings immediately to the Magical Law Enforcement Squad._

"What would she be doing in Hogsmede?" Ginny wondered. "You would think she would want to stay hidden. I guess these wizards did something to piss her off."

Harry shrugged while still staring at the poster and said, "I don't know, but I wonder if the Order does. We should ask Remus."

"Who?" Ron asked.

"Oh, sorry. Professor Lupin. I forgot I'm the only student who uses his first name," explained Harry.

"Oh. Well, asking is a good idea, mate, but I doubt he'll tell us anything." Ron scrunched up his face to look like his mother, then shook his finger and imitated her voice as he said, "You're too young! You're not of age!"

Harry and Ginny laughed, and Harry replied, "You never know. It can't hurt to ask."

They turned to look at Hermione, who had been silent this whole time. She had a glazed look on her face and seemed more worried than the three of them put together.

"What is it?" Harry asked her, concerned.

"It just doesn't make sense," Hermione mumbled, more to herself than anyone else. "She wouldn't risk capture when people know she's here, unless…" She trailed off, lost in thought.

After five years of listening to incomplete sentences, Ron finally had enough. "Dammit, Hermione! For once in your life, _finish a bloody sentence!_"

Harry half expected Hermione to scowl at Ron, but when she looked up it seemed as if she was actually hurt by this statement. Ron's face fell immediately.

"It's just that, well… can we talk about this somewhere else?" Hermione asked quietly. Honeyduke's was becoming so crowded that it was difficult to move, so they headed for the Three Broomsticks.

Ron, Ginny and Hermione headed for a table in the corner of the room while Harry approached the bar and ordered four butterbeers. Hermione had apparently gained back the little confidence lost due to Ron's remark because she spoke almost at once.

"So, I was wondering why Bellatrix would take such a huge risk just to kill a couple of wizards. I heard Mr. and Mrs. Honeyduke chatting about it earlier; the wizards she killed didn't work for the Ministry, and I'm almost positive they were not in the Order because they would have been in hiding, or at least more protected."

"So, your point is…" Ron asked sarcastically, but cautiously. This time Hermione scowled at Ron, which caused a wide smile to spread across his face.

"My _point_, Ronald," she continued, "is that Bellatrix, insane though she may be, is far too smart and clever to just wander Hogsmede and kill at random. She knows Hogsmede is close to Hogwarts which is under the protection of Dumbledore. There had to be some other purpose for her being here."

"Maybe the wizards she killed were death eaters that betrayed You-Know-Who," Ginny suggested, but Harry shook his head.

'No, Voldemort would have killed them personally if that were the case," he said, once more ignoring the flinches from Ginny and Ron. "So, what's your theory, Hermione?"

"I think Bellatrix was here on an errand for Voldemort, but she was seen," Hermione explained.

"What do you mean, 'an errand'?" asked an irritated Ron.

"I don't know," admitted Hermione. "Maybe she was spying on someone or preparing for something. Maybe the four wizards she killed accidentally saw whatever she was doing, so she silenced them.

"But she would be doing this in the middle of the night, right?" Ron asked.

"Probably," answered Hermione.

"So you're saying that she just HAPPENED to be doing something she didn't want anyone to see and these four wizards just HAPPENED to see her?"

Hermione apparently did not find Ron's sarcasm amusing because she yelled, "Alright, Ron! If you're so smart why don't _you_ tell _me_ what happened, then!"

Harry hardly noticed their argument, partially because he was so used to it, but also because he was dwelling on his mixture of fear and hatred toward Bellatrix Lestrange. Harry always knew she was capable of killing, but after what she did to Sirius, her own flesh and blood, Harry felt a sense of dread in her lack of mercy if any more of his loved ones got in her way. Harry's fear intensified as he realized there would be no way to protect _every person_ he cared for from Bellatrix, other Death Eaters and Voldemort.

_I can't look after _everyone he thought hopelessly. _Like the Weasley's. I won't be able to protect them if she comes looking for me._ Evidently his emotions seemed to appear on his face because Ginny, who had been watching him, leaned over to him.

"Don't worry about them," she whispered in his ear.

"Huh? Wha…? How did you…"

"Oh, come on, Harry, it's practically tattooed on your forehead," she answered playfully. "I know you feel the need to protect everyone, and the only ones you would want to protect who aren't here at Hogwarts are those in the Order. But don't worry. They'll be fine, especially with Dumbledore looking out for them." She smiled at him, but he still looked helpless.

"You don't understand, Ginny," he explained. "The whole world is practically my responsibility. I should be held accountable for every person who loses their life at the hands of Voldemort or his Death Eaters."

Ginny took a deep breath. "Harry, I know how you feel. I _was_ responsible for petrifying those students in my first year." Harry looked as if he was going to interrupt her, but she quickly said, "Just let me finish, okay. It was my voice that released the basilisk. But, Harry," she took another deep breath, "V- Vold-demort isn't controlling you. He doesn't command your destiny. You will be able to protect millions of people; you just have to give yourself a chance."

Harry's mouth hung slightly open; he was flabbergasted at the fact that Ginny had just said "Voldemort". In fact, he was so enthralled with this that he didn't even notice the silence at the table. Ron and Hermione stopped their argument to listen to the conversation between Ginny and Harry.

"She's right, Harry," Hermione said with a smile. "You need to focus on you."

"We can look after ourselves, and let the Order worry about everyone else," Ron added. "Blimey, Harry, you've got enough on your plate than having to worry about the rest of the world, too!"

Harry looked around at all of them, and his eyes finally fell on Ginny, who smiled at him. He gratefully returned the grin.

A few moments later, Neville entered the Leaky Cauldron with Seamus and Dean, and Luna joined them shortly thereafter. Ten minutes passed and by then most of the DA members from the previous year (except those that graduated) were in the pub and had sat down with Harry, Ginny, Ron and Hermione to discuss this year's meetings. Once everyone settled into a seat with a butterbeer, attention almost immediately turned to Harry. Harry was reluctant to speak about Voldemort; no one but his closest friends really knew what happened at the Department of Mysteries and he wasn't exactly excited to talk about it. He looked hopefully and a little desperately at Hermione, who got the hint and spoke in his place.

She cleared her throat and said, "Okay, then. Thank you all for coming. The reason I called… sorry, _we_ called," she corrected herself while looking at Harry, "this meeting is to find a permanent time for DA meetings. Dumbledore has given us permission to form an actual club and has granted us permission to use the Room of Requirement. I know some of you have Quiddich and other commitments, so I want to find a time everyone can agree on while we are all together."

After much debate with Neville (who was in the Herbology club), Ernie McMillan, Cho (the new Ravenclaw captain) and of course, Zacharias Smith, the consensus was to meet in the Room of Requirement every Friday evening after dinner. Harry was satisfied with this time but felt completely overwhelmed already. Dumbledore and Lupin advised him to take Occlumency lessons twice a week, and then he had to organize Quiddich practices, not to mention his regular weekly homework.

"I don't know how I'm going to manage all of this, especially with the mountains of homework we get everyday," he mentioned once he was alone with Ron, Hermione and Ginny.

"Don't worry, Harry," said Hermione. "I'll help plan the meetings every week."

"Yeah, and I already told you that I would help out the Quiddich," Ron added. He clapped Harry on the back. "You worry too much, mate."

Harry took a deep breath and admitted to himself that even though he liked to do things alone, now he really needed help. Hermione seemed to be reading his mind.

"But the next time you feel overwhelmed and need help, Harry, you should just ask, alright?" she instructed with a smile. He smiled back at her and thanked his two best friends for offering to help, and then he turned to Ginny who seemed to be frowning slightly.

"What is it?" he asked her.

"I just wish I could help with something, Harry, but there's nothing for me to do," she said.

Harry's first instinct was to laugh; he had never seen her pout, especially over him. Then he took her hand in his, looked in her eyes and said simply, "You have helped me, Ginny." She beamed at him and gave his hand a squeeze.

After a few more butterbeers, the four decided to head back to school. Harry, Ron and Ginny had Quiddich practice in the evening which, if possible, lightened his mood even more. The Gryffindor team seemed unstoppable; even the Slytherins found nothing to criticize when they came to watch Gryffindor's practice. In fact Gryffindor's defeat of Hufflepuff in the first game of the year increased his euphoria so much that Harry forgot about his fear of October and the looming uneasiness pressing in on the castle.

**XxxxxxxxxxxXxxxxxxxxxxX**

Occlumency proved to be much easier for Harry as his powers developed, but Lupin seemed to feel that Harry had more in him than he realized.

"Harry, I know your mind is on the end of term and the Halloween feast," Lupin said, "but you have to focus."

"What? Oh yeah, sorry," Harry apologized distractedly. He didn't want to tell Lupin that he wasn't thinking about the feast, which was less than a week away. His feelings of unease crept back despite his enthusiastic mood about Quiddich; his thoughts continuously turned back to Bellatrix Lestrange, but today his worry was so bad it was making him nauseous. His head ached all day and Occulmency was not helping; Harry was hardly listening to Lupin because he was focusing on trying to get the pain to subside.

"Okay Harry, what's the problem?" Lupin asked finally.

"Huh?" responded Harry.

"You've been staring into space for the past ten minutes while I was talking to you," Lupin explained. "I tried to get your attention by making up the story that Dumbledore had emptied your account at Gringotts to take himself on a trip to Tahiti, and nothing! So I want to know what's got you so distracted that you can't even recognize a joke."

Harry hesitated but could find no reason why he should keep anything from Lupin. "Well, October always makes me really nervous," he began, "but when I saw a wanted poster for Bellatrix Lestrange, I sort of got this weird gut feeling."

Lupin's eyes darkened at the mention of Bellatrix's name and he asked, "What sort of feeling?"

"Like something's just not right and today it's become even worse. I've felt sick all day and it seems like something is about to happen.' Harry paused, and then remembered something. "Remus, does the Order know why Bellatrix has been around Hogsmede lately?"

Lupin hesitated, and Harry got the feeling that he was about to be denied an answer when Lupin said, "Dumbledore has some theories of course, but as he would say, they are each as…"

"Unlikely as the next," Harry finished for Lupin.

"Don't worry about Bellatrix, Harry," Lupin warned. "Her actions are being closely watched by the Order."

"Well, if this feeling ends up being anything important, we'll find out soon enough," he continued darkly. "Well, goodnight then, Remus."

"Goodnight, Harry," Lupin replied.

Harry turned and took one step towards the door when suddenly his head exploded with pain. He collapsed, clutching his scar and yelling in agony, only vaguely aware of Lupin's rush to help him. There was laughter in his head, high-pitched, cold laughter louder than Harry had ever heard it. He opened his mouth to yell in pain again, when he realized he was laughing. He was happy, exhilarated, joyful even; something had finally gone right. He was laughing at Lupin's shouts telling him to block his mind, his cold voice filled the air; a snakelike presence slithered up from inside him and he was looking out through its eyes…

Another burst of pain brought Harry back to his senses. He quickly focused on pushing Voldemort out of his mind, and using all the strength he could muster he was finally able to break the connection. He breathed out suddenly, as if released by some great pressure. Lupin helped him sit up and asked, "Are you alright, Harry?"

"I think so," Harry responded while trying to fight back a wave of nausea.

"What happened? What did you see?" Lupin asked. "What is Voldemort so happy about?"

Harry had a look of helplessness on his face, but he knew this event was bound to happen sometime. "Azkaban. He broke open Azkaban again."

Lupin jumped to his feet. "Come on," he said as he held out a hand for Harry. "We need to tell Dumbledore."

"No need, Remus," said a voice from the doorway. Harry looked up to see the Headmaster looking down at him. "Who has been released, Harry?" he asked.

"Everyone, except obviously the prisoners who have been kissed by the dementors. I think the one's who were not Death Eaters already have joined up in exchange for their freedom, because Voldemort had a ton of people with him."

"You saw all of this?" Lupin asked, amazed.

Harry nodded. "At least, bits and pieces of it." He suddenly jumped to his feet. "There were injuries! Headmaster, you have to send someone…"

"Relax, dear boy," Dumbledore interrupted, holding a hand up. "It has been taken care of. Right now, you need to go back to Gryffindor tower and get some rest. The Order will deal with the rest."

Harry nodded, though he was slightly irritated for being told not to worry yet again. How could he not worry? He left Dumbledore and a concerned-looking Lupin in the classroom. Once at Gryffindor tower, Harry realized he had missed dinner again. Ron and Hermione were in the common room waiting up for him.

"Harry, you look awful! What happened?" Hermione asked.

He relayed a brief version of the events at Azkaban he saw in his mind then said, "Can we talk about this tomorrow? I'm really tired." Ron and Hermione looked panic-stricken, so he mumbled, "Voldemort broke open Azkaban."

Ignoring their shocked faces, Harry climbed the stairs to the boy's dormitory, changed and climbed in his four-poster. He did not tell Lupin, Dumbledore or his best friends that his gut feeling had not subsided, and that he felt Voldemort had something more planned.

**XxxxxxxxxxxXxxxxxxxxxxX**

In the week following the breakout and up to Halloween, the fear and nervousness associated with October increased tenfold. Harry was glad that, due to Minister Weasley, the _Daily Prophet_ and the Ministry of Magic were not claiming Sirius was the rallying point, but the panicked attitudes of most of the students began to annoy him. He, Ron, Hermione, Neville and most of the DA had been expecting the breakout, but almost everyone else seemed to be shocked. Harry could not understand their surprise; after all, the wizarding world was informed of the revolt of the dementors the previous summer. The fact that everyone _knew_ Lord Voldemort was back seemed to worsen the situation; people knew he was behind it rather than some isolated form of dark magic as was the case for the previous breakout.

As was to be expected, the only students that were not clearly upset by these events were Draco Malfoy and a group of Slytherins. Indeed, Malfoy began to walk with his nose so high that Ron finally said, "What is his deal? He looks like a ferret sniffing for food."

Many students felt their first impacts of Lord Voldemort's wrath through tragedy. Harry had seen there were injuries and deaths, but didn't know who was involved until the _Daily Prophet_ published the names. Voldemort assassinated five Aurors and wounded at least a dozen others (including Tonks) in his attack on Azkaban with Bellatrix Lestrange. Ewan Abercrombe and Justin Finch-Fletchly both lost family members who were guarding the prison in place of the dementors; Ewan immediately joined the DA after hearing the news of his uncle's death.

The breakout was the main topic not only among the students, but among the staff as well. Dumbledore had Harry double DA meetings, Professor Flitwick taught some simple concealment charms and Snape worked everyone tirelessly the whole week until they all could properly produce shield and deflection charms.

"None of you are even close to the skill needed to take on an experienced Death Eater, so you must perfect alternatives to fighting," Snape told the class Halloween morning. "As I am sure you have been taught, the Unforgivable Curses are not blockable, and even if you can throw off the Imperious Curse and live through the Cruciatus Curse, you cannot survive nor hope to survive the Avada Kedavra, despite Mr. Potter's… past experience."

Everyone turned to look at Harry, who was so used to this he simply rolled his eyes and ignored the stares.

"Longbottom!" Neville jumped at hearing Snape address him. "Come up here. You are going to help me demonstrate a shield charm," Snape said, a glint of foreboding in his eyes. "I am going to throw a curse at you, and you need to block it to protect yourself. We shall see if you prove better at this than you do at potions. Ready?" He didn't wait for Neville to respond and yelled, "_Tarantalegra!_"

Neville reacted so fast that even Harry was mildly surprised. "_Protego!_"

The spell bounced back at Snape, and Harry felt a surge of pride towards Neville; that was, until Snape yelled, "_Recutio!_" and sent the curse back at Neville once more. Unfortunately, Neville was caught off guard and for the second time in his life his legs began to twitch in a frenzied tap dance.

"Never let your guard down for an instant," Snape explained. "Just because you can block one spell does not mean more spells cannot rebound back at you. As I expected, Longbottom performed poorly and easily could have been injured. _Protego_ is a simple shield charm that can be easily broken with a powerful enough spell, so we will be working on _Recutio_, the rebound charm." Snape seemed to be ignoring Neville, who had fallen to the floor, his legs still twitching.

Rolling his eyes again, Harry moved out from around his desk, walked over to Neville, and, remembering Lupin's countercurse used in the Department of Mysteries, muttered, "_Finite_."

"Ten points from Gryffindor, Potter. Incapable though he may be, you should have let Longbottom figure it out on his own," Snape said, sneering at him.

Harry threw him a look of utmost disgust but said nothing and helped Neville to his feet, who thanked him.

Harry had a free period after Defense Against the Dark Arts ended while Ron, Hermione and Neville went to Herbology. Harry spent the time working on lesson plans for DA meetings, and when his friends returned, Ron was still clearly upset about Snape's behavior.

"Ten points for helping someone, I tell you," Ron complained when he met Harry at the Grand Staircase.

"Well, like I told Neville in Herbology, it shouldn't surprise you, Ron," Hermione responded. "When has he ever awarded someone for helping someone else?" There was bitterness in her voice, perhaps because she remembered being punished in the same way for helping Neville before.

"Yeah, but to leave him on the floor twitching like that is just cruel," Harry argued.

Hermione simply shrugged, but Ron said, "I don't know why Dumbledore let him teach Defense Against the Dark Arts. I don't care what anyone says, he's a Death Eater. He probably does as much torture as Lucious Malfoy…"

"Are you sure you want to finish that sentence, Weasley?" asked a drawling voice from behind them. They turned to see Draco Malfoy, looking as smug as ever, standing alongside his usual bodyguards Crabbe and Goyle. Malfoy was clutching a piece of parchment in his hand that he waved in Harry's face.

"I just got a letter from father a little bit ago," said Malfoy, a smug smile across his face.

Harry raised his eyebrows. "Really? How is life kissing Voldemort's ass treating him? Happy his master rescued him since he couldn't help himself, is he?"

Malfoy ignored Harry. "He's in hiding now, obviously, but he was writing to tell me all about last summer at the Department of Mysteries and how…"

"How they got the crap beat out of them by Dumbledore?" Harry interrupted. Ron and Hermione laughed at this.

"_No_," Malfoy said, looking irritated but with a malicious grin beginning to creep across his face. "How your worthless shit-sniffing dog of a godfather got himself killed, or was it you who killed him…?"

WHAM!

Harry's temper suddenly exploded without warning, resulting in a punch he threw at Malfoy. His fist made contact with Malfoy's cheek before Malfoy could finish his sentence. Ron and Hermione jumped forward to hold him back, but there was no need. Harry looked down at Malfoy on the ground and said, "You better stay down, Malfoy or you will regret it. I don't care about the consequences; if you ever mention Sirius again, you will be sorry."

To his (as well as the onlookers) surprise, Malfoy was still smiling. "Careful, Potter," he said as he sat up and wiped blood from the corner of his mouth. "That temper of yours may become too much to handle. If you keep up this attitude and don't learn some control, you'll be next on Bella's list." Then he stood up and walked away, flanked by Crabbe and Goyle.

Harry gaped after him. "What the hell did he mean by _that_? Do you think he knows about my magic being too powerful?" he asked.

"It looks that way," answered Hermione. "Maybe Voldemort- oh for goodness sake, Ron! – knows something and told Lucius about it; although I don't know why it would matter to Draco."

Ron frowned and said, "Who cares, Harry? If he wants you to lose your temper, you should just do it and blow him up or something."

"Oh Ron, that's not funny! If Harry loses control he could destroy the whole school!" exclaimed Hermione.

Ron shrugged and said, "Whatever. Listen, I'm starved and it's almost time for the feast. Let's head over to the Great Hall."

"In a minute," said Harry. "I need to take a walk and cool down."

"Do you want us to come with you?" Hermione asked, trepidation on her face.

"No, thanks though," Harry answered her. "You go on ahead; I'll be there in a bit." He turned and headed for the entrance hall, then proceeded out onto the grounds for some fresh air.

The sun was setting behind the castle, and the cloudless sky above Hogwarts began to turn a beautiful hue of red, orange and purple. As twilight crept across the grounds, Harry noticed the light in Hagrid's cabin was on.

_That's strange,_ he thought. _I didn't think he was back_.

Harry walked towards the cabin, and as he did a prickling sensation ran up his neck and made him feel as if he was being watched. He slowed his pace and instinctively drew out his wand when he was doused in a horribly familiar icy cold. He was drowning almost instantly; the lights in the castle and Hagrid's cabin flickered out and a velvety blackness covered the colorful dusk sky and pressed down on his eyes.

When he heard the sucking, rattling breath behind him, he whipped around to face what he knew was coming, but it was much worse than he expected. His heart contracted when he saw at least ten tall, black-hooded dementors gliding towards him, their putrid stench consuming the air. Harry's ears were ringing and he couldn't find any escape; he was trapped between the dementors and the fence around Hagrid's cabin. He knew he would not be able to defend himself alone against all of them, but he knew had no other choice but to try and hope that someone would come to help him.

"_Expecto Patronum!_" Harry yelled, but nothing happened. _Think! Something happy…_ he told himself, but his own voice was drowned by the sound of his screaming mother in his head.

Trying to block out her last moments, he yelled again, "_Expecto Patronum!_" A thin mist of silver vapor exited his wand, but a sweep from one of the dementor's rotting hands brushed it away.

"_Expecto…_" His voice fell silent. His mother's screaming began to fade, but a new, fresher memory replaced it: the horrible, cruel laughter of Bellatrix Lestrange, taunting him.

"_Did you love him, little baby Potter?"_

"No… please, no… _expecto…patronum_…" he cried desperately.

He could see Sirius falling over and over through the veil; he watched over and over as his last father-figure disappeared into the blackness of the archway forever. He could see Sirius's shocked and wasted face, and he was suddenly overpowered by more despair than he had ever felt in his entire life. Blinded, he dropped his wand and stopped trying to fight off the dementors now closing in on him. He gave up; he had no more hope or happiness left in him, just despair and guilt, all-consuming guilt. He was so cold; he felt dead already as numbness overtook his body and soul. His mother's screams grew louder again behind Bellatrix's laughter, and he knew he was all alone; no family, no friends to help him. He was falling through the darkness now. He sensed a slimy, decayed hand reach for his throat, and he knew he was about to die but was past the point of caring. He wished for death, as he did at the Ministry last year, knowing that once it was over he would be with his family.

Then, at that moment, through the screaming and laughter in his head, he saw his godfather. It was a memory from the previous year when Sirius was giving James's mirror to him. Harry looked up into Sirius's face, and Sirius handed him the mirror then said, _Use this if you need me. I will always be here if you need me, Harry; I will always be with you_.

And just as suddenly as he appeared, Sirius was gone. Harry now saw the gaping, sucking hole that was the mouth of the dementor about to clamp onto his, but the vision of Sirius had given him hope and a will to live.

Without even considering looking for his wand he shouted, "_EXPECTO PATRONUM!_"

A power unknown to him rushed through his body and surged from within him in a burst of brilliant white light; his back arched and his body went rigid. Nearby windows in the castle and Hagrid's cabin shattered and the ground shook. As the light pulsed off of Harry, the dementor still holding his throat disintegrated into ash and the rest swooped away from the Patronus like a swarm of angry bats. The cloak of the disintegrated dementor fell to the ground in a heap as Harry dropped to his knees. The power still pulsing from him seemed too much; he couldn't stop it and it was draining him completely. He felt as if his body was burning and he struggled to stay conscious. He heard footsteps but knew it was too late; as the light finally faded around him, his world turned dark and he knew no more.


	11. Aftermath

A/N: Wow you all must really hate me! First I leave you with a cliffhanger, then I don't post the next chapter for months! I am so so so so sorry! School sucks.

Many of you have written questions, and as always I welcome them. One common question was about the fact that Harry was having difficulty fighting off six dementors when in third year he fought off over a hundred. Well, it's my understanding that the reason he could fight off a hundred was because he had already seen himself do it. While he was protecting Sirius, he could barely produce and trace of a patronus, and in 5th year when he and Dudley were attacked, he was having difficulty with just two. I thought about saying there was 10, 20, 50 or 100 dementors after him in the last chapter, but to me it seemed too over the top. So, I hope that explains my thought process.

Also, to quizgirl, yes- I did think of that, but I figured that stuff happens and there might be a case where someone's parent died, but the kid would still be allowed to go to Hogsmede since the parent signed the form. I thought the same would go for Harry.

And to snitch20 and all my new readers, thanks for choosing my story! I hope you continue to enjoy it.

I'm glad you all enjoyed that chapter… and that you liked the length! This one won't be as long, but it will be close, and I hope you like it just the same. THANK YOU for all the wonderful reviews, and keep reading! xoxo

This chapter is dedicated to Ryan. I hope you are well.

Disclaimer: I don't own any of these characters, but the woman who lives in my finger named JK Rowling does…

**--Chapter 11: Aftermath--**

"Harry? Harry! Open your eyes!"

He was laying face down on the ground outside Hagrid's cabin, and he felt someone gently turn him over. His body ached all over, as if he had been beaten to within an inch of his life. Harry Potter was soaked to the bone in icy cold sweat and his body seemed stiff, like his skin had been pulled taut. He struggled to bring himself back to full consciousness, and his eyelids fluttered as he willed them to stay open. Despite the ringing in his ears, he could hear murmurs and whispers, and someone nearby was crying quietly.

"Open your eyes, Harry," repeated a voice from above him who proceeded to cover him with a cloak.

Harry could feel his glasses resting on his nose, but the face of Albus Dumbledore was swimming in and out of focus when he finally opened his eyes.

"Look at me, Harry," Dumbledore said, looking down at Harry. He seemed to be muttering spells under his breath. Harry noticed the Headmaster was kneeling next to him along with someone Harry could barely identify as Lupin.

"That's it, stay with me."

Harry's head tilted to one side and his eyes rolled in the back of his head; he felt weak and sick, and unconsciousness was threatening to overtake him once more.

"No, Harry!" Dumbledore said, holding Harry's face firmly with one hand. "Look at me!"

Professor Ven came hurrying up to the crowd huddled around Harry holding a mug of steaming liquid. He handed the mug to Dumbledore and, assuming he would have to drink it, Harry attempted to sit up, then realized he couldn't move. Dumbledore lifted Harry's head gently and poured the liquid (which turned out to be hot chocolate) down Harry's throat. Harry felt a warmth rush deep within him, but his aches did not cease. Hoping the hot chocolate had something in it to allow him to move, he tried to sit up again, but to no avail.

"I've put a paralyzing charm on you from the neck down, Harry," Dumbledore explained. "You are extremely burned and badly injured from those burns, so it was for your own protection."

Harry licked his lips and spoke in a hoarse voice. "My hands… my hands feel like they're on fire…"

"You produced an incredibly powerful patronus, Harry, one that comes from the love and kindness that burns inside you," Dumbledore answered. "Since you apparently were not holding your wand, the spell burst out of you instead. Your hands hurt the most because they are the easiest exit point for a conjured spell; however, the spell also burned almost your entire body, so we need to get you up to the hospital wing."

Lupin conjured up bandages that wrapped themselves around the exposed parts of Harry's scorched skin, and Dumbledore magicked him onto a stretcher then the three of them headed for the hospital. Lupin attempted to keep Harry conscious by talking to him, but Harry's physical and mental strength seemed to be giving out.

"Harry," Lupin began, sounding desperate, "You've got to stay awake for just a little while longer. Madam Pomfrey needs you conscious while she tries to treat you."

"Will she be able to fix me?" Harry whispered weakly. Harry didn't notice, but Lupin's face displayed a deep sadness, like the face of a parent looking at a dying child.

"I will do my best," replied Madam Pomfrey. Her voice startled Harry, who had not realized they had just entered the hospital. "You may have some scarring, Harry," she added.

She conjured bandages similar to Lupin's, but hers had healing cream in them, and she proceeded to carefully wrap Harry's entire body after carefully removing the first bandages and the remains of his charred clothing. She used her wand to wrap him then to place him carefully in one of the hospital beds. She lifted his head and poured a potion down his throat; Harry, through his bandages, took one last look at Dumbledore and Lupin, and then drifted off into unconsciousness.

The incident with the dementors occurred Friday evening before the Halloween feast and Harry did not awaken until Sunday afternoon. His body still ached dully, but he could move and his bandages had been removed. He pushed himself up in his bed slowly and put on his glasses, and he was extremely happy when he saw who was in the hospital with him. Ron and Ginny were on the floor in the middle of a game of Gobstones and Hermione was sitting in a chair next to his bed immersed in a book called _Careers for Wizards Who Can Do Everything_; she was the first to notice him.

"Oh, Harry! Ron! Ron, he's awake!" she yelled, then threw herself on him, causing him to wince in pain. "We ere so worried! When we saw you on the ground… and you were so burned…"

Harry glanced down at his arms after gently pulling Hermione off him; his skin was peeling slightly as if he was recovering from a bad sunburn. Ron and Ginny abandoned their Gobstones game and sat on the edge of Harry's bed.

"You've been asleep for almost two days, Harry," Hermione continued.

"What happened?" Harry asked. "I can't remember anything past when one of the dementors grabbed my neck."

"No one really knows, mate," Ron answered. "In fact, we were hoping you'd tell us. We were all in the Great Hall waiting for the feast to start when Professor Lupin came by our table looking for you. We told him about Malfoy and that you wanted some fresh air. He seemed a bit concerned, but then he left to find you and we didn't think anything of it."

Hermione shot Ron a look at this statement, so he corrected himself.

"Okay, fine. I didn't think anything of it," he said as he rolled his eyes. "Anyway, Dumbledore started the feast and everyone started eating, and that's when Lupin came bursting back into the Hall and yelled, 'Dumbledore! Dementors!' As soon as Dumbledore stood up, the all the lights went out. Everyone began to yell when a really bright white light came shining through the windows."

"Then all the windows shattered," continued Hermione, "and we all felt this weird tingling sensation, sort of like the room filled with static electricity. But once the light faded, the static did too, and we were left in the dark again. Dumbledore re-lit everything as he rushed outside with Lupin, and of course almost everyone followed them."

"We- that is, me, Ginny, Neville, Hermione and Luna- pushed our way to the front of the crowd once we got outside," Ron said. "Then we saw you…" He fell silent, and neither Hermione nor Ginny appeared willing to continue the conversation.

"What?" Harry demanded. He looked at Hermione who bit her lip and shook her head; Ron seemed determined not to look at him, so he turned to Ginny with pleading eyes. "Tell me, Ginny," he said gently.

"Oh, Harry," she began with tears in her eyes. This was the only moment in Harry's memory that Ginny looked and acted like her mother. "You were lying on the ground spread eagle, and part of a cape from a dementor was next to you. The grass and the cape were smoking… and so were you…"

She stopped suddenly, unwilling to continue, so Harry urged her on. "Go ahead," he said.

"You were completely burned, and so was everything around you," she said reluctantly. "It looked like you were lying in a crater; every inch of you was scorched, and even Dumbledore was afraid to move or even touch you. I guess he sensed the effects of the dementors still in you or something, because he sent Professor Ven to get some hot chocolate. Lupin knelt beside you and Dumbledore put a paralyzing spell on you so you wouldn't move around and cause your skin to, well…" She shifted uncomfortably.

"Fall off," Ron finished for her. Ginny shot him a hateful look, but Harry wasn't satisfied.

"You said there was a dementor's cloak next to me?" he asked. Ginny and Hermione nodded. "What happened to the dementor? How did I get so burned?"

"No one knows for sure, Harry," Hermione answered. "You were the only one out there at the time, but Dumbledore thinks you produced an extremely powerful patronus by releasing all the power within you, and the heat from your magic is what burned everything."

Harry waved his hand impatiently. "Dumbledore told me this already, I think. But what happened to the dementor?" he demanded again.

"Dumbledore was telling Professor Snape and Professor Ven yesterday that your patronus was so powerful that it sort of… melted the dementor," said Hermione. "In fact, I'm surprised the dementor's cloak survived at all, considering that the dementor was turned to ash…"

"Whoa, whoa! Hold on," said Harry, his mouth hanging open. "What do you mean 'melted'?"

"There was nothing left but that small piece of the cloak, mate," Ron explained. "The other dementors took off, I guess, but Dumbledore said that the one probably gripping your neck completely disintegrated. But the spell torched your body too; you barely had skin left, much less clothes."

Ginny blushed slightly and turned away, hoping Harry had not noticed. Harry, as a matter a fact, did not notice because he was focused on a question he dreaded to ask.

"So, what do I look like now? Is my face…?"

"Oh, you look fine, Harry!" Hermione said cheerfully. "No, really, you do!" she added after seeing the skeptical look on his face. "Madam Pomfrey did a great job healing you."

"She had to put in for some special potions from St. Mungos, but you look way better then you did before," Ron added.

"Ron!" Ginny scolded, elbowing her brother in the ribs.

"Ow! Well, he does!" Ron insisted. "His hair's even grown back already."

"My hair was gone!"

Ron laughed. "Yeah, mate, you looked like a…" he stopped at another elbow in the ribs, this time from Hermione. Ron cleared his throat. "Anyway, we all thought the scar on your forehead might not come back once your new layer of skin grew in, but no such luck."

"Well, it's not exactly an ordinary scar, is it?" Harry pointed out.

"Cheer up, Harry," said Ron. "You know the year's not complete unless you've had at least one night's stay in the hospital wing."

Everyone, including Harry, laughed.

A few moments later, Madam Pomfrey came out of her office and shooed everyone out. Harry's friends bid him goodbyes then left the hospital wing, leaving Harry to be pestered and nagged by Madam Pomfrey. Harry endured her fussing, however, knowing it would be worse not to.

"How long do I have to stay here?" he asked her.

"As long as necessary," Madam Pomfrey answered automatically, but her expression softened when she looked at Harry's disappointed face. "Most likely just one more night, Harry; you may return to your dormitory tomorrow." With the prospect of returning to normality along with a potion to dull his pain, Harry actually managed a decent night's sleep.

* * *

As was to be expected, Harry was still the topic among most students at the end of the weekend. Many students, most who were in the DA, either kept a respectful distance or told him they were happy he was doing so well. Other students, however, were not as considerate.

"Try to ignore them, Harry," said Hermione at breakfast on Harry's first day back after seeing him scowl at a group of whispering Slytherins.

"I'm so sick and tired of being Harry the Freak," Harry complained. "I just want to be normal…"

"But you're not normal, Harry," said a dreamy voice behind him.

Hermione, from across the table, looked up from her books as Harry and Ron turned in their seats to see Luna Lovegood standing behind them.

"What do you mean, 'he's not normal'?" Ron asked irritably.

Her bulgy eyes turned to Ron as she said, "He's the only one to ever survive a killing curse from Voldemort. He's the only one who can destroy Voldemort." She turned back to Harry after gazing curiously at Ron's flinches and said, "Harry, you're not normal and you never will be. It's not a bad thing; it's what makes you, well… you. The sooner you accept that, the happier you will be."

Harry looked up at her curiously and opened his mouth to respond, but before he had a chance Luna said, "I'm delighted you're feeling better anyway, Harry." Then she turned on her heel and floated over to the Ravenclaw table.

"What the bloody hell is she talking about?" Ron asked incredulously. Harry shrugged and when back to his bacon.

A short while later, Harry and Hermione headed for potions. Professor Ven had them working on an unusual potion to recover memory. Harry was about to inquire if it would work on someone like Lockhart when Professor Ven explained it only works for short-term memory loss. Afterwards, Harry thanked the professor for helping him the previous Friday, then left the class and headed for Care for Magical Creatures. Lunch followed, and then the trio headed for Defense Against the Dark Arts. Harry was eager to start working on spells again since Madam Pomfrey kept him from using magic for the entire weekend.

Once the class had settled, Snape informed the class that due to everyone's poor performance on shield charms, he would be moving to defensive attacks.

"Counter-attacks can be very useful when trying to fight defensively," he said, "but timing is everything in these spells, and judging by the tardiness record of Gryffindor house, this may prove to be too difficult for you. I have no inclination to even try to teach you." He took a moment's pause to allow this last statement to penetrate the minds of the irritated Gryffindor students before continuing. "However, the Headmaster insists, so I will teach you."

Snape started with a freezing spell that blankets the opponent in ice, allowing the spell-caster to run for cover, and of all the students in the class, Harry was struggling the most.

"What's the deal, mate?" Ron asked after class. "Last week you disintegrated a dementor and this week you can't seem to manage a single spell."

Harry simply shrugged in response; he had no idea why is magic wasn't working properly.

"Maybe you're just tired," Hermione suggested in a 'matter-of-fact' sort of way. "Or maybe the Patronus you conjured last Friday took all of your energy, so now you have to rehabilitate your magic."

"What?" exclaimed Harry and Ron simultaneously, stopping in their tracks.

Hermione continued walking towards the Greenhouses for Herbology, so she yelled over her shoulder, "You have a free period, Harry; go look it up in the library. Come ON, Ron!"

Ron turned to Harry and quietly said, "Bloody hell, she's bossy."

Harry, not really caring about bringing the obvious to Ron's attention, said, "Oh why don't you just admit it, Ron. You like her bossiness."

Ron shrugged. "It's a bit much sometimes, is all. See ya, Harry."

"Bye," Harry replied grumpily. He stood in the Entrance Hall for a few minutes, and then decided finally to heed Hermione's advice, so he headed for the library.

By the end of the period, Harry had found nothing about wizards losing magic. He joined Ron and Hermione at dinner extremely frustrated, and his frustration worsened when Hermione asked, "Did you have any luck?" then replying after he shook his head, "Well, you just weren't looking hard enough." He shoved the rest of his food down his throat, then left the table in a huff and headed for the Gryffindor common room. He sat in the large armchair by the fire and sulked until Ron and Ginny joined him. Ron asked for some help with his potions homework and Ginny kept to herself, gently petting Crookshanks by the fire. Harry was the first to go to bed; he wanted to avoid the questions he knew Hermione would ask about his research. It took him a while to calm his frustration, but he began to hope that his magic may return in the morning and eventually fell into a dreamless sleep.

* * *

After almost two full days of aggravation due to his lack of magic, Harry was dreading going to occlumency more than ever before. He knew Lupin would get on his case about not practicing, and he was not in the mood to be nagged.

"Oh, hello Harry," Lupin said as Harry entered his office. "How are you feeling?"

Harry shrugged; he decided that, in case a miracle should happen, he would not tell Lupin about his loss of power yet.

"Alright, Harry. We're going to focus on more control today; I have to tell you, I'm rather tired of getting thrown across the room," Lupin said cheerfully.

Harry tried (and failed) to smile in response, and nodded when Lupin asked, "Are you ready?" Lupin raised his wand and said, "_Legilimens_!"

Harry was five, finally understanding why his parents were gone… he was nine, in the school nurse's office with a bloody nose from Dudley… he was thirteen, watching in horror as a werewolf forms out of Lupin… he was fourteen, his chest contracting as he watched his mother emerge from Voldemort's wand…

Harry felt a sharp pain on his left knee as he collided with a desk after becoming overwhelmed. Lupin rushed over to help him up and said, "What was that, Harry? You didn't even try."

"Something happened to my magic after the dementors," Harry replied, irritated and frustrated that Lupin thought he wasn't trying.

"That's not surprising when you consider the amount of power you displayed," Lupin said, "but we can't continue with you like this. It's dangerous for you to be without magic; let's see what Dumbledore has to say, alright?"

Harry nodded and followed Lupin out into the hall and asked, "What do you mean, 'it's not surprising'? I looked everywhere in the library for a book about this and I couldn't find anything."

Lupin walked very quickly toward Dumbledore's office and spoke to Harry over his shoulder, "It's not unheard of, Harry. It is possible to strip a wizard of his powers with extremely powerful spells, so I can imagine it's possible for a wizard to strip himself of his own magic."

Harry paused just before the door to the staircase leading up to Dumbledore's office and asked, "But you've never heard about it happening before, have you?"

Lupin did not answer Harry but rather spoke the password and motioned for Harry to get on the revolving staircase. He entered the office without knocking and headed for Dumbledore's large desk. "Have a seat, Harry," he said, "I'm sure Dumbledore will be back soon."

After a few minutes of silence, a burst of flame erupted above the desk and Dumbledore appeared holding onto Fawks' tail.

"Hello, Harry, Remus," he said. "What can I do for you?"

Lupin looked down a Harry who said, "My magic is… gone, professor."

"Gone, you say?"

"Yes, sir. I noticed it my first day back; before the dementor attack I couldn't think of a spell without performing it automatically, and now I can barely do spells I learned first year."

Dumbledore sat behind his desk and folded his hands together. "Tonight it was as if he never learned occlumency," Lupin added.

"Yes, I was afraid of this," Dumbledore said.

"What do you mean?" Harry demanded, trying to keep his temper.

"Since your magic became so powerful so fast, you were unable to exercise any control over it. When your body sensed that your life was in danger, you automatically reacted, releasing your power to its fullest extent; since you had no control to stop the release, your magic was released until it was completely drained."

Harry looked up at Dumbledore and asked the question he dreaded the most, "Will it come back?"

Dumbledore smiled. "Yes, it will, Harry," he answered, "But it will take time and practice. Your magic will rebuild to its full, and possibly dangerous, potential but as to how long it will take, I do not know."

"That's not good enough, Albus," Lupin interjected angrily. Harry had not seen him this distressed since he yelled at Snape before the start of term. "You know Harry's a constant target for Voldemort! What if he finds out his power is gone? He'll be more vulnerable than he is now!"

"I know Remus," said Dumbledore. "But there is nothing more we can do."

"Isn't there some sort of spell he can…"

"There is _nothing_ more we can do," Dumbledore repeated more forcefully.

Harry suspiciously looked up at Dumbledore then turned to look at Lupin, who was wearing the same look of confusion.

"Harry, I need to speak with Remus, and it is almost dinnertime," Dumbledore said.

"Go ahead downstairs, Harry; I will talk with you later," said Lupin.

Harry glanced up at the Headmaster; more hurt than angry that Dumbledore was blatantly not doing everything in his power to help him in anyway he could, just as he has always done. Dumbledore seemed to sense Harry's disappointment.

"You must listen to me, Harry; spells of this nature are extremely dangerous. Some of them can drive you mad, land you in Azkaban. Do you understand? You must not try any spells claiming to give you power. I'll tell you what I will do, however; I will ask your teachers not to call on you so you do not advertise the fact that your magic is weakened."

Harry sighed and nodded, then left the office and headed for dinner.

* * *

A couple of weeks passed, and Harry's magic still had not recovered. Rumors of his condition began to spread through the school, especially after he cancelled all DA meetings, and Harry knew it was just a matter of time before Voldemort would find out. He continued checking in the library for any information, but to know avail.

At lunch one afternoon, Harry's attention was drawn to the Slytherin table, and he suspiciously eyed the conversation Malfoy in a huddled talk with his usual clique.

"Do they have to keep turning to look at me? Why to they always have to advertise that they're talking about me?" Harry complained to Ron and Hermione. "I get the feeling Malfoy has something in store for me. The Slytherins have left me alone since the dementor attack; I think they are itching for a fight now they know my magic is worthless."

"Well, they may not know," Hermione suggested hopefully, Her eyes briefly moved up as if she was looking behind Harry, then they returned to her plate. "But just be careful Harry. Remember you don't have enough magic to properly defend yourself, so don't go picking a fight."

"I _know_ that, Hermione," Harry snapped.

"You know," Ron began, "I wonder if You-Know-Who knew this would happen if you were pushed to use your magic."

"Huh?" asked Harry.

"What if You-Know-Who sent the dementors after you because he knew your magic was out of control? Maybe he hoped you would spend it all trying to defend yourself. Maybe he needs to be weak," Ron suggested.

"Well, that actually makes sense," Hermione added thoughtfully.

"Don't act so surprised," Ron told her with a smirk. She ignored him.

"Think about it, Harry," she said. "Voldemort sent the dementors after you hoping you would use everything you had in you to defend yourself; even if you didn't, there was a chance the dementors could capture you. It was a win-win situation."

"Well that makes everything just PERFECT, doesn't it?" Harry spat angrily.

"Harry…" Hermione began warningly.

"What difference does it make, Hermione?" Harry interrupted. "I have no power so I can't blow up the school anymore, can I? Not only do I not have any power, but Voldemort planned the whole thing in the first place so now he _knows_ I can't defend myself. I might as well just sit back and wait for him to kill me since there's nothing I can do about it anyway."

"No," said a firm voice behind Harry and Ron. Both spun around and saw Ginny Weasley standing with her arms folded across her chest.

"How long have you been there?" Ron asked, and then turned to Hermione across from him. "How long has she been there?"

Hermione smiled but did not look up from her plate. "Long enough," she said simply.

"Harry, you're doing it again," Ginny said.

"Doing what, exactly?" Harry asked irritably without looking at Ginny.

"Feeling sorry for yourself," Ginny replied, her eyes never leaving Harry. "You're a fighter, Harry. You know you wouldn't be able to sit and wait to be killed even if you wanted to."

Harry finally turned and looked up at her, frustrated because he knew she was right, but desperate to tell her that he was tired of fighting. Ginny scooched herself in between Ron and Harry and sat down, then continued her statement.

"I will be with you, Harry," she said, "We all will. You are always the first to protect us, so let us protect you for a change."

Harry's face softened, and he smiled slightly at Ginny while taking her hand in his. "Thanks, Ginny."

He finished his meal in silence, listening to Hermione's daily tirade about Ron's study habits. She cut it short when Harry mentioned it was almost time for charms. Ron mouthed a silent "Thank you" to Harry for interrupting Hermione, then the three of them were off to class. They headed for the entrance hall, then the Grand Staircase and proceeded up the stairs to floor six. Before they reached the top stair, however, they noticed Malfoy, wand in hand, and his Slytherin crew standing just past the top of the staircase.

"Is it true then, Potter?" he asked. "Do you really have no magic?"

"Get out of the way, Malfoy," Harry said defiantly, slowly pulling his wand out and continuing to walk forward.

A large grin spread across Malfoy's faces as Harry walked towards him. He grabbed Harry's arm and leaned forward do his face was inches from Harry's and said, "Why don't you make me, Potter?"

"I thought I did last week," Harry spat back at him, jerking his arm free. "I seem to remember my fist connecting with your face."

"Yes, I remember that too," said Malfoy, "and it's time for payback."

Suddenly, Crabbe jumped at Ron and put him in a headlock, and Pansy Parkinson pinned Hermione against the wall. Goyle rushed at Harry who, because he was trying to help Ron, did not have time to get out of the way. Goyle grabbed Harry by the collar of his shirt, threw him against the hallway wall and held him about an inch off the ground. Malfoy strolled up to Harry while the remaining Slytherins kept a look out. Harry thought of every defensive spell he knew but of course, his thoughts had no effect on Goyle. Malfoy continued to stroll up to Harry as a crowd of onlookers began to form, then he pointed his wand at Harry and muttered a spell under his breath.

Harry was released from Goyle's grip and fell to the ground, then doubled over in pain. Both Ron and Hermione struggled to get to Harry, as did a few students in the crowd, but the Slytherins kept them at bay. Harry gritted his teeth, willing himself not to give Malfoy the satisfaction of knowing his insides felt like they were on fire. Then the pain faded as quickly as it had come, and Harry opened his eyes just as he thought he heard Ron and Hermione cry out. What he saw made his heart contract with fear.

Ron, Hermione and everyone in the surrounding crowd were lying face down on the ground. They were dead, and only Malfoy and his gang of Slytherins remained. Malfoy leaned close to Harry and said quietly, "You've failed them, Potter. They're all dead because of you."

_No, no, no… This can't be!_ Harry thought.

Malfoy smiled. "That's right, Potter. You're all alone again; no parents, no friends, only death…"

All of a sudden, Malfoy was hit square in the chest by a bright red light and thrown back, away from Harry. Crabbe and Pansy released Ron and Hermione, staring at the unconscious Malfoy on the ground. Harry blinked and shook his head, then breathed a sigh of relief when he saw everyone alive and well. He looked around for the person who hit Malfoy with the stunning spell and was shocked to see a very angry-looking Luna Lovegood. Her wand was clutched tightly in her hand and still pointed at Malfoy, and her brow was furrowed as she frowned at the Slytherins.

"You better go pick him up," she told Crabbe and Goyle while nodding in Malfoy's direction.

Professor Flitwick came walking out of the classroom and asked, "What's going on out here?"

Hermione reacted quickly. "Nothing, professor," she lied, leading him back into his classroom. "But I do have a question abut a spell."

The classroom door clicked closed and Luna offered a hand to Harry to help him off the ground. "Are you alright, Harry?" she asked, in a matter-of-fact sort of manner.

"Yeah… thanks," Harry mumbled, embarrassed.

"It's okay," Luna answered dreamily," but I can't believe no one else tried to help you."

"Hey!" Ron protested. "I would have if that idiot troll hadn't tired to choke me to death."

Luna looked at Ron with her bulgy eyes but did not answer him. She turned back to Harry and smiled, causing his stomach to twitch as it did when he looked at her on the train. "Have a good day," she said, then glided away as if nothing had happened.

Ginny came running up the stairs a few moments later and breathlessly asked, "What happened? Are you alright, Harry?" She walked toward him and put her hand on his shoulder, but Harry felt so humiliated that he could barely meet her eye.

Ginny looked curiously at Ron, who said very quickly and quietly, "Malfoy attacked him. Luna saved him."

"Luna!" Ginny exclaimed disbelievingly. A twinge of jealousy crept up her neck and onto her face.

Without a word or a look at Ginny, Harry headed for Flitwick's classroom with his head down to avoid any eye contact. Ron shrugged to a red-faced Ginny, then followed Harry to class.

* * *

"Professor Flitwick told me about Malfoy's spell," Hermione told Harry in the common room after dinner. Harry had skipped dinner completely in his desperation to escape all the looks and whispers. He barely raised his head to look at Hermione.

"Why didn't you say anything before?" he asked.

"Because you've been so busy trying to avoid everyone I haven't had the chance," she said dismissively. "When Professor Flitwick came out if his class I asked him about the spell right away while I led him back into the classroom so Luna wouldn't get in trouble. I didn't tell him Malfoy cast it on you, Harry," she said when his head snapped up. "I just told him I was wondering about phobia spells."

Harry's eyes widened. "How did you know…?"

"Well, first you seemed like you were in pain, then when you looked up you had this weird look on your face," Hermione explained. "I've never seen you look so panicked and scared. So I asked the Professor if there were any spells that could cast the sane effects as a dementor, and he told me about _Phobis Timor_. He said the spell causes the victim to be trapped in their own mental fears; apparently it can drive a person just as crazy as a dementor can without having to suck out your soul. What did you see, Harry, if you don't mind me asking?"

A chill ran up Harry's spine as he recalled the blank expressions of the dead students around him. "Everyone around me was dead, and Malfoy told me that I failed to protect everyone, that I let you all die."

"I swear, one of these days I'm going to give Malfoy what's coming to him," Ron said angrily.

"Oh, Ron, don't be ridiculous," said Hermione, rolling her eyes and ignoring Ron's indignant sniff. "Malfoy's not worth your time. Anyway, I don't know how he could have learned something like that. I doubt Voldemort or Lucius took the time to teach him, and Professor Flitwick said the books about phobia spells are all in the restricted section; I can't imagine that Madam Pince would allow him in the restricted section, so I can't figure out how he learned it."

"It doesn't matter anyway," Harry said grumpily. "Now the whole school knows I can't defend myself. I'm sure everyone's enjoying a good laugh at my expense as always."

"You might be surprised, Harry," Hermione responded to his bitter comment. "A lot of the DA members are really concerned, especially since most people, even those who don't know the prophecy, believe you are the one who can stop Voldemort. A lot of students are really worried about you; even Cho came up to me and asked how you were."

"Wha...? Really?" Harry asked, surprised. "What did you tell her?"

"Well, I was about to tell her that you were fine, but Ginny interrupted me and told Cho it was none of her business. She kind of went off on a tangent, actually," Hermione explained with a grin. "She told Cho that if she was that concerned then she shouldn't have been such as bitch to you in the first place."

Harry smiled slightly to himself at Ginny's obvious jealousy. Ron apparently shared the same sentiment because he said, "Well, it serves her right. She's completely metal if you ask me, Harry, even more so than Hermione." He looked over at Hermione and smiled at her, and was surprised to see her smile back.

* * *

After three weeks of what Harry considered worthless practice in class, with Lupin and with Dumbledore, his magic was finally showing some potential, but it was still weaker than it was before he began at Hogwarts. The attack by Malfoy disheartened him greatly, but his "rescue" by Luna was downright humiliating. Now the whole school thought he wasn't able to look after himself; Malfoy was still having a field day, laughing at Harry every chance he got because Harry was always surrounded by people willing to look out for him. Harry was grateful for their concern, but he was overly frustrated at everyone asking him how he was doing. He began to worry about other things too; not only was this whole ordeal terribly embarrassing, Harry knew it was also dangerous. Malfoy surely told his father about Harry's condition, and Lucius most likely informed Lord Voldemort.

_I have to try something else,_ Harry thought as he threw his schoolbag on the common room floor one evening in late November. _This is getting ridiculous._

Harry had cut his dinner short again, hoping to get to the library to look once more for a solution to his problem, even though Dumbledore had warned him against it. He told Ron and Hermione at dinner that he was sick of being without magic and even though Hermione was inclined to trust Dumbledore, she knew that Harry needed magic sooner than it would take to rebuild it naturally. Harry intended to check the restricted section, but Madam Pince informed him that Dumbledore did not want him in the restricted section for any reason. Harry's anger at Dumbledore doubled after this, and instead of heading back to the Great Hall he decided to sulk by the fire in the Gryffindor common room.

The common room filled slowly over the next hour with students returning from dinner, so Harry plopped himself in a chair by the fireplace and away from the crowd. Ron, Neville and Ginny joined him shortly thereafter, and Harry was more than happy to engage Ron in a game of Wizard Chess. After an hour or two, however, Harry suddenly noticed that Hermione was not back from dinner yet.

"What did she say when she left?" Harry asked Ron.

"She left before me and Ginny," Ron answered, "and said she was going to the library, but I thought she would be back way before now."

Harry, who was even more on-edge than usual after the dementor attack, had the feeling that Hogwarts was not necessarily as safe as he always assumed it was, and he began to feel worried about Hermione.

Then, around midnight and just after Ginny turned in, Hermione came through the portrait hole lugging her book bag and a very large, leather-bound book entitled _Power for the Powerless_.

"You were right, Harry," she said, breathless from the combined weight of her book bag and the new book. "I couldn't find anything until I finally convinced Madam Pince to let me browse the restricted section."

Harry's interest peaked at this statement, so he decided not to chew her out for being so late. Ron, however, was not as forgiving. "What the hell took you so long?" he asked irritably.

Hermione appeared to be a bit surprised at Ron's concern. "Huh?" she asked.

"You took forever! I was, I mean... er…" Ron's ears flushed red. "I mean, _we_ were worried about you."

"Oh! I'm sorry!" Hermione said honestly. "I just forgot about the attack and everything…"

"It's okay, Hermione. What did you find?" Harry interrupted. He was eager to find out what was happening to him, so Hermione glanced at Ron for approval. Ron's mouth was slightly open as if he wanted to say something more, but he decided against it and closed his mouth, so Hermione began to speak again.

"I looked in the regular library for hours until Madam Pince came up to me and asked if I needed help. I knew she denied you access to the Restricted Section, Harry," she added when seeing that Harry was about to interrupt, "so I told her that I was doing an extra project and needed to research power transfer spells. She pointed me to an area in the back of the restricted section where I found this." She heaved _Power for the Powerless_ onto a small end-table by the armchairs. It took me so long to find it, though, so I haven't had a chance to look through it."

Harry moved a chair closer to the firelight and placed the book on his lap after sitting down. Ron and Hermione huddled around Harry as he began to flip through the chapters.

"Here's something," he said, pausing at Chapter Thirteen entitled "Magical Bonds and Power Transfer". He began to read.

_True magical bonds are rare, and only powerful wizards can forge them. Many magical bonds are formed by accident and it is not until later in life that the connection between the wizards or witches is discovered, but still some are formed between say, a mother and child. _

_In the Middle Ages, "dark" wizards were known for forging connections with unknowing yet powerful "light" wizards and using those connections to transfer the magic from the "light" wizard to himself or herself. It is not uncommon that bonded wizards share dreams, visions, thoughts and even emotions, and it has been speculated that powerful wizards sharing a particularly powerful bond are connected not only in life, but in death as well. The death of one wizard could very well cause the death of the wizard connected to him._

Harry paused; he could feel the color draining out of his face. He could think of no reason why he was surprised by this information since he had been expecting this after hearing the prophesy, but the passage seemed to take the wind out of him. Ron seemed to feel the same because he voiced what Harry was thinking.

"Seems a lot worse when it's written, doesn't it?" Ron said.

Harry nodded. Hermione said nothing but grabbed the book out of Harry's lap and set it on her own, then continued reading.

_Power transfer spells only work with extremely powerful connections. If a young wizard shares a special bond with his mother, the mother may choose to transfer her power to him if he is somehow weakened. The incantation, _Evalesco Delego_, was also used by dark wizards many years ago to steal power from others until the Imperious Curse was discovered. Instead of stealing power, the Imperious Curse simply allows a dark witch or wizard to control those with the power they desire._

Hermione swallowed hard, then continued.

_About a century ago when Ministry for Magic officials dubbed _Imperio, Crucio, _and_ Avada Kedavra_ unforgivable curses, there was talk of including _Evalesco Delego_ and forbidding its use, but the idea was turned down as the spell can also be used for healing purposes._

_There is still great concern about the many risks of this spell, however. If a witch or wizard whose magic has not fully matured tries to use the power transfer spell, he or she might literally overload the body. The overload causes the witch or wizard to be unable to break the connection, resulting in the death of those sharing the bond and possibly the death of anyone in the vicinity. Additionally, some situations documented by Saint Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries show the recovery process of wizards who had become addicted to power transfer. Most of these were dark wizards, required by the Ministry for Magic to enter a "rehabilitation" program after serving time in Azkaban._

The chapter went on to explain that there was no record of anyone dying from this spell because no bond strong enough ever existed, but Harry knew that if Voldemort could enter his mind and produce false images, their connection must be stronger than anything recorded in wizard history.

_Plus,_ he thought, _I'm seeing his thoughts through his eyes. There's nothing documented about_ that_ in this book._

When he returned from his thoughts, Hermione was explaining to Ron that a wizard's addiction to power and magic is very similar to a muggle's addiction to mind-altering substances called "drugs".

"I don't get it," said Ron. "Why would muggles do something that will ultimately kill them? I mean, a wizard's addiction to power hasn't made anyone snuff it."

"Not that we know of, Ron," explained Hermione, "but it is entirely possible."

"But I still…" Ron began.

"So," Harry interrupted, "I need to learn this spell. Hermione, can you help me?"

Both his friends gaped at him, flabbergasted at his request.

"Are you completely mental!" Ron asked.

"Oh, Harry, this spell is too dangerous! There has to be another way! Dumbledore said your magic would come back on its own, and he warned you against trying something like this!" Hermione protested. "Besides, it says here," she pointed at a page in the book, "that in most cases you have to be in direct contact with the wizard you are connected to. Only really powerful wizards, who have FULL control over their magic, can perform the transfer spell from far away; Let's face it, Harry, you're magic is in no condition to try something like that."

"Exactly! Which is why…" Harry began, but Ron cut him off.

"Which means you would have to be _with_ You-Know-Who to absorb his powers!"

"Look," Harry explained, "I know what Dumbledore said, but then why did you go to the library to help me, Hermione? I'm not going to seek Voldemort out or anything, and I'll work harder on rebuilding my magic naturally like Dumbledore said. But _if_ I somehow end up near Voldemort, I'm going to need the spell! I can't fight him without magic!"

Ron opened his mouth as if he wanted to speak, closed it, then opened it again and, unable to form any words closed it once more. Hermione said nothing, but the horror on her face had not faded.

"Please," Harry pleaded, "I need your help. I can't risk being powerless if I face him."

And, accepting defeat, Harry's best friends nodded their agreement. They headed for bed, and Harry finally felt a sense of security that his magic was not totally lost. He climbed into bed and pulled the curtains closed, thinking about when he would start practicing the spell. As he lay in bed, however, Harry debated with himself, wondering if trying this spell was really a good idea.

_I know the spell has risks,_ he reasoned with himself, _but Voldemort will come for me soon if he finds out I am virtually unprotected._

The debate continued in his head until he eventually drifted off into a restless sleep.

* * *

"_This is most distressing news," Harry said in a high, cold voice. "Tell me everything you know."_

"_I don't know who it is, my Lord," insisted a death eater whose face was covered. His voice was shaky and nervous. "All I know is a death eater has been spying for Dumbledore since your return." _

"_You have done well, Rogers. I can see your induction last week was not a mistake as many death eaters believed," Harry said.  
_"_Thank you, my Lord," Rogers replied, his body clearly relaxing from relief._

"_You say you don't know who this traitor is? You're not trying to protect him, are you?" asked Harry._

"_N-No, my Lord," Rogers maintained, his nervousness returning._

_Harry took a deep breath in, his nostrils flaring, and smelled the fear seeping off the man in front of him. "I smell lies, Rogers," he said, raising his wand._

"_Pl-Please, M-Master, my wife just had a son… I would n-never lie to you," Rogers pleaded, dropping to his knees. "Oh! Th-there is once more thing, my Lord," he continued desperately. "The sp-spy…" Rogers was clearly struggling between his conscience and saving his own life. "I heard the spy was … is v-very close to Dumbledore, trusted beyond most."_

_Comprehension dawned on Harry's face, and true hatred and anger rose within him and spread around the room like a thick, poisonous fume. "Thank you, Rogers," he said. "You have been most helpful, but you need to learn not to keep things from Lord Voldemort." Harry watched the man flinch at his name and cower at his feet._

"_Pl-Please… no…"_

"_Do not worry, Rogers," Harry said reassuringly, "I shall be more merciful to you than to the traitor." He raised his wand and said, "_Crucio_!"_

_Rogers screamed, twisting and contorting in pain… Harry could feel the pain in his scar… Harry could feel the pain in his scar building… He was laughing at Rogers and screaming in pain at the same time…_

Suddenly, Harry's eyes snapped open and he was back in bed at Hogwarts. He wiped the sweat off his face, untangled himself from the sheets, and looked around to make sure his roommates were still asleep. Then he jumped out of bed and dressed quickly; he hardly noticed he was putting on different socks. He had to find Dumbledore, to warn him: Snape was in danger.

A/N: Please don't forget to review… and this story will continue… I promise! But it might be a while until the next chapter, and I apologize for that. Thanks for sticking with me!


	12. The Trap

A/N: Hello again fellow fan-fiction readers! Sorry for the huge delay... I had some trouble with this chapter, and I've been super busy! But now that I am a college grad hopefully I will have more time to write! Who's TOTALLY excited for July 16th?

Again...thank you so much for sticking with me... I hope you enjoy this chapter... don't forget to review!

**Chapter 12: The Trap**

Harry drummed his fingers nervously on Lupin's desk while trying to remember the details of the vision. He had to find Lupin because Dumbledore was not in his office and he was too uncomfortable with going to see Snape himself. Luckily Lupin was still awake and after Harry relayed the dream Lupin rushed to find Snape. He also pressed a small button on the side of his watch causing the face to glow blue, and a few moments later Harry had no need to ask what the button was for. Lupin walked back in to the office with Snape and Dumbledore at his heels, and he remembered Dumbledore telling him at the end of last year that the Order had better ways of communicating than flu powder.

_That must be what the watch is for,_ Harry deduced.

"Alright, Potter," Snape began nastily. "What is the problem?"

Harry looked over at Lupin, who nodded his approval for Harry to share his vision. Harry took a deep breath, looked up at Snape and said, "Voldemort knows you're the spy."

Snape withdrew at the sound of Voldemort's name as if being threatened by a lashing whip and snarled, "Don't say his name!" Harry saw his had move automatically to his forearm where Harry knew the Dark Mark was burned into the skin. "What the hell are you talking about, Potter? You know better than to trust your dreams. Oh, but I forgot how exceedingly arrogant and above the rules you are…"

"It wasn't a dream!" Harry insisted despite his feeling of déjà vu. He realized his was making this very claim about the dream with Mr. Weasley and the snake around this time last year. "I mean, it was… I was asleep, but it was real!"

Snape attempted to hide a smug smile. "Just like the dream about Black was real?"

"How dare you…!" Lupin began.

"That's enough!" Dumbledore boomed. His voice seemed to echo through the room and quickly silenced them all. "Severus, this sounds very important. Harry saw the attack on Arthur Weasley in a vision similar to this. Am I correct, Harry?"

Harry nodded.

Snape gave an irritated sigh. "Very well then, Potter. What did you see?" he asked grudgingly.

Harry explained his dream in as much detail as he could remember; how Rogers was reluctant to say anything, how Voldemort threatened to torture him for more information, and how Voldemort realized who the spy was once Rogers mentioned he was close to Dumbledore.

Dumbledore waited for Harry to finish before asking, "Did he ever actually _say_ who the spy was, Harry?"

"No, but it was obvious that Vold-, I mean…" Harry stopped himself after a glance from Snape. "It was obvious that You-Know-Who knew who the spy was by then."

"This is ridiculous," Snape mumbled loudly enough for everyone to hear.

Lupin turned angrily at Snape once more and said, "Ridiculous? Harry's trying to save your life and you say it's ridiculous?" His face was growing paler by the second as his anger intensified, and his hands were clenched in tight fists and shaking.

Snape chuckled in a way that made Harry's skin crawl. "Save my life? Anything pertaining to Potter seems to make people end up dead, so I would rather take my chances."

Harry had finally heard enough. He stood up and yelled at Snape, "Do you think I _enjoy_ seeing these things? Believe me; if I thought this wasn't real or that there wouldn't be any consequences for your capture, I would have been glad _not_ to warn you."

"There won't be any consequences because what you saw wasn't real!" Snape shot back. "I'm not putting the mission in jeopardy just because of one stupid vision of yours!"

"Now listen to me you smug sonofabitch…" Lupin began.

"Remus, Harry, please sit down," Dumbledore requested, "and try to relax. Severus, I agree with Remus. You are not taking this as seriously as you should. Our first mission in the Order is to always protect life, and Harry has given you the opportunity to protect your own."

"But Albus, since Potter did not see Rogers _say_ my name, Dark Lord might be doing this to weed out the spy. I have never met Rogers, and the Dark Lord will know it's me if I just disappear," Snape explained, trying to stay calm. "I have to continue as if I know nothing, as if _he_ knows nothing."

Dumbledore remained silent for a few moments then said, "I do not believe this is the right course of action, Severus, but I will trust your judgment."

Snape smiled broadly, nodded his thanks to Dumbledore and swept out of the office. Harry could not believe his ears.

"Are you _serious_!" he shouted at Dumbledore. "You're going to let him just prance around Voldemort as if nothing's wrong?"

"Harry, Professor Snape has more experience in situations like this than anyone else. All we can do is hope for the best," Dumbledore replied softly.

Harry glanced from Dumbledore to Lupin with his mouth hanging open, wondering if he was the only sane one in the room. Lupin was still pale with fury but he remained silent. Frustrated, angry and defeated, Harry left the office and headed back for the dormitories.

"Has Dumbledore completely lost it?" Ron asked later that day after listening to Harry's recount of the dream and the following discussion.

"Well, like I've said before, if Dumbledore trusts Snape then so should we," Hermione said.

"And like _I've_ said before," argued Ron, "you're just as mental as Dumbledore for trusting that slimy git. Well, Harry, if Snape's going to be a stubborn ass then don't worry about it. You tried to help, and if something happens he'll only be getting what he deserves."

Harry nodded even though he wasn't paying much attention; Ron and Hermione didn't understand how dangerous it would be if Snape was revealed or captured, but Harry didn't feel like explaining it. All he could do was hope, for the first time in his life, that he was wrong and Snape was right.

The end of November brought the first signs of winter: cold, blustery weather and the beginnings of holiday snow. Most of the students spent their free time inside studying for end of term exams, and Ron and Hermione were also finding time to help Harry with his ailing magic. Ron, slightly irritated at first, eventually began to enjoy himself because the constant and repetitive practice for Harry was also helping his own magic.

Another Hogsmede trip was planned after exams, but Harry was hardly looking forward to it, much less the holidays. He wanted to use the break to take his mind off Lord Voldemort, but he knew that Dumbledore would ask him to stay at Grimmauld Place because Hogwarts was no longer completely safe, and the last thing Harry wanted to do was run into Order members every other day. To brighten his own mood, Harry resolved to invite the Weasleys to stay with him, or at least join him for Christmas.

_I don't want to be stuck in that house with only that stupid house-elf like Sirius was,_ he thought bitterly.

The days before exams seemed to be flying by, and before he knew it, Harry was finished with his last test. For the first time in his life he wished exams were still to come; his loneliness only intensified when he heard the cheerful conversations of students talking about visiting their families over break. In fact, Harry's mood was so foul that he downright refused to go to Hogsmede the Saturday after exams.

"Oh, come on, Harry!" Hermione pleaded to him on Friday afternoon. She, Harry, Ron, Neville, Luna and Ginny (who shot an occasional glare at an oblivious Luna) were all sitting in Lupin's office, each enjoying an end-of-term butter butterbeer.

Harry shook his head. "Look, I'm just not in the mood to go, okay?"

"Come off it, mate," scolded Ron. "It'll do you good to get out instead of heading straight back to Number Twelve. Besides, I know for a fact you haven't finished your Christmas shopping."

Harry glared at Ron, but knew he was right. After five more minutes of listening to his friends nagging and pestering, he reluctantly agreed to go.

He immediately regretted this decision, however, the moment he stepped out of the carriage and onto the snow covered streets of Hogsmede. The smiling faces and holiday decorations caused his already gloomy mood to plummet. He allowed himself to be dragged from store to store by Hermione and Ginny; Ron said very little to Harry and maintained a polite distance, most likely because he was uncomfortable and did not know how to cheer Harry up.

Harry soon discovered that Sirius' death was not the only thing keeping his mood down; the sight of magic used freely around him and not being able to perform any was incredibly frustrating. Dumbledore started attending all of Harry's occlumency lessons after Harry informed him of his loss of magic, and Harry was sick of his constant reminders to be patient.

_Screw patience,_ he thought. _At this rate I might as well drop out of the wizarding world all together._ The anger inside him began to boil up at the thought of Dumbledore's continuous lecturing when a sudden twinge of pain shot through his scar.

"OUCH!" he said, rubbing his forehead with his hand.

"What is it?" asked Hermione.

"My scar hurt for a second, but it's gone now," Harry answered.

"Is You-Know-Who happy or something?" Ron asked.

Harry shook his head. "It wasn't enough to get a sense of his mood. Still, it's random that this was so, well, random."

Ginny shrugged. "Oh, well. Come on. Let's go get a butterbeer. Some of the DA members wanted to meet us at the Three Broomsticks," she said as she dragged Harry out of Zonko's.

_Great,_ he thought. _Just what I need; more nagging about when the DA will start up again._

He trudged along in the snow then entered the Three Broomsticks. To his surprise, he saw Katie Bell, Neville, Dean, Seamus, Ernie McMillan, Luna, Ewan Abercrombie, Justin Finch-Fletchly and Cho sitting at a large round table in the corner and beaming at him. Four seats were open with butterbeers waiting, so Harry followed Ginny and reluctantly sat down next to her, with Luna at his other side. The group waited for Ron and Hermione to sit down the turned to Neville.

"Obviously everyone knows what's happened to you, Harry," Neville began, "but we want you to know that we want to start the DA up again."

Harry opened his mouth to argue, but Neville went on.

"You don't need magic to teach us, Harry," he said. "We can learn a lot from you by just listening."

"So to show you how much we care, mate," Ron continued with a smile, "here's a little something from all of us to you. We thought it might come in handy; you're magic being gone and all. Happy Christmas!"

Ron passed a long, thin box wrapped in Christmas paper to Harry, who gave him a confused glance before accepting the package. Harry ripped off the paper and opened the box; inside was a wand, about nine inches and looked as if it was made of maple. More confused than before, Harry picked up the wand expecting something normal, but what he got was far from it. The wand made a weird drooping noise and went completely limp. Harry picked up the box, flipped it over and saw a sticker reading "Weasley's Wizarding Wheezies". He stared for a moment at the box in one hand and the wand in the other, looked up at the rest of the table, and finally burst out in hysterical laughter. His friends joined in, then raised their mugs of butterbeer.

"To a great holiday!" said Seamus.

Harry lifted his own mug, wiping the tears of laughter off his face and said, "Cheers!"

BANG!

The door to the Three Broomsticks burst open just as the customers heard the noise and an incredibly panicked young wizard yelled, "It's _him_! He's here! Death eaters everywhere…" Then a bright green light hit him in the back and he keeled over and hit the ground, clearly dead. Harry and the other DA members jumped to their feet as the sound of screaming witches and wizards filled their ears.

The patrons of the Three Broomsticks began to panic as well, so Harry stood on a table and yelled, "Everyone calm down! No one should leave here alone; try to find a place to hide!" He turned to the DA members. "I need you guys to help get all the students back to Hogwarts, but be careful. Don't fight if you don't have to."

Most of the group headed for the door, but Ron, Hermione and Ginny refused to budge.

"What are you waiting for?" Harry asked somewhat forcefully.

"Harry, you can't go out there alone! You have no magic!" Hermione pleaded desperately.

Harry, remarkably calm, put his hand on Hermione's shoulder and told her, "Hermione, he's here for me. All that matters is you all getting to safety so he can't use you or hurt you to get at me."

"How do you know?" Ginny asked. Her voice had the slightly high-pitched, concerned tone of her mother. "How can you know he's here for you?"

Harry leaned over and kissed her on the cheek. "You have to go," he said, then turned to Ron. "Make sure the other DA members are safe." He lowered his voice. "And Ron, take care of them," he said softly, nodding at Ginny and Hermione.

"Don't worry. Be careful, mate," Ron replied, and then he pulled Ginny and Hermione out the door.

Harry waited a few moments, vaguely aware the entire room was staring at him, and then plunged into the bitter cold outside. He looked around, overwhelmed by the chaotic scene around him. Bodies lay in the snow, wide-eyed and frozen in fear; people were yelling and pushing each other, trying to get away from the Death Eaters.

Harry pushed his way through the crowd, heading in the direction of the screaming when he came to a clearing and saw Bellatrix Lestrange and Peter Pettigrew torturing a huddled group of wizards. Harry realized why he could hear the screaming all the way at the Three Broomsticks; the collective screams of five or six people would easily be heard for miles.

As he was transfixed on the victims, Bellatrix looked up. "POTTER!" she yelled, sending a stunning spell at him at the same time.

Harry dove out of the way and hid behind a large pile of wood. He could hear the soft pattering of Wormtail's footsteps approaching, so he ran and dove into the nearest store, which turned out to be Hogsmede's Flourish and Blotts. He looked around; the store seemed empty so he began to search for something, anything, to use for a weapon. Just as he was reaching for a poker by the fireplace, the door burst open and in stumbled Remus Lupin.

Lupin's shoulder was bleeding freely from a large gash, and it soaked his black cloak. "Harry! I've been looking for you. Thank god you're alright."

"Are you?" Harry asked, nodding at Lupin's shoulder.

Lupin waved his hand dismissively. "Nothing I can't handle. Dumbledore sent me after you, Harry; he's trying to round up some of the Death Eaters, so I have to get you out of here."

"Not without the others," Harry insisted.

Lupin sighed, nodded, and then led Harry towards a back door. Once outside, they ran to where the carriages usually waited for the students, but there were none. Harry heard a noise and peaked around a tree to find Ron huddled with Hermione, Neville and Luna.

"Harry!" exclaimed Hermione.

"Where's Ginny?" Ron asked.

"I thought she was with you!" Harry answered incredulously.

Ron turned as pale as the snow, very different from his usual shade of red. "She ran off to look for you… We couldn't stop her…"

They all jumped at more screams and another loud BANG. The noises seemed to be approaching.

Harry looked at his friends. "Go, run!" he yelled, taking off his pendant and shoving it in Hermione's hand. "It's a portkey to Dumbledore! Make sure you get to safety!"

"What are you doing, Harry?" Neville asked.

"I'm not leaving without you, Harry!" Hermione shouted back.

"I'll be fine! I can apparate, remember? I have to go find Ginny!"

"Harry, no!" yelled Lupin and Hermione together, but Harry had already turned and run towards the village. Lupin told Hermione and the others to use the portkey and leave right away, then he took off after Harry.

As they ran down the main road, Harry got a creeping chill at how suddenly silent and deserted the village was. Harry wanted to yell Ginny's name, but common sense told him it might be better to keep quiet. He glanced down alley after alley, street after street, looking for a sign of her until he reached the large fence bordering the Shrieking Shack.

The panic inside Harry tripled. He had looked everywhere for Ginny; where was she?

"Harry!" Lupin shouted from behind him. "Over here!"

Harry ran toward Lupin who was standing just inside an alleyway, and as he rounded the corner Harry nearly ran head-long into Ginny.

"Whoa! Ginny! Are you alright?" he asked, stumbling backwards.

She had a clouded, unfocused look in her eyes and answered rather monotonously, "Yes, I'm fine. Come this way." She pointed over her shoulder to the alley behind her. "We can hide there."

"No, Ginny, we need to get back to Hogwarts," said Lupin.

"I don't want to go back out in the open," she said. "Let's hide here."

Harry looked over at a clearly confused Lupin then turned back to Ginny and said, "Come on, Ginny. It's safer back at Hogwarts. I'll look after you, I give my word." He took her arm gently and tried pull her towards the street, but she resisted. Harry tugged harder but she pulled her arm out of his grasp.

Comprehension suddenly dawned on Lupin. "Harry, we have to get out of here!" he whispered urgently.

"I know, but…" Harry began.

"It's a trap! She's under the imperious curse!" Lupin insisted, and then he moved to grab Ginny and drag her to the street.

Suddenly, seven Death Eaters emerged from the shadows, all masked except one. Bellatrix Lestrange held her wand steady at Ginny then smiled the horrible smile she used to taunt Harry at the Ministry of Magic. Harry trembled with anger and hatred, wishing that he still had the power to make the ground shake with him.

"Release her, Bella," said Lupin, his wand pointed directly at her heart.

"Or you'll what, Remus? Growl at me?" she retorted.

Despite his dangerous situation, Harry could not help but marvel at the fact that Lupin was on a first name basis with the woman who murdered his best friend.

Lupin did not budge, but his eyes darted around to assess the dilemma they were in; the six other Death Eaters now had their wands pointed at Harry and Lupin.

"Potter goes with us," Bellatrix demanded.

"Let them go first," Harry answered, referring to Ginny and Lupin.

Bellatrix raised her right eyebrow as she looked at Harry, then she flicked her wand and released Ginny from the Imperious Curse. Ginny blinked and swayed a bit, then she stared at Harry in horror after taking in her surroundings. She opened her mouth to say something but Harry shook his head slightly and reached out his hand to her. She took it and walked slowly over to Harry and stood behind him.

"Harry, go!" she whispered in his ear. "You can apparate."

"I'm not leaving you," he whispered back.

"Come along now, Potter," Bellatrix said, "or watch your friends die."

"So you can what? Have them killed after I'm gone?" Harry replied. "I told you to let them go first."

"We figured you'd be difficult, Potter," said a deep voice behind one of the masks. It had a thick French accent, and Harry suspected it might be Rudolphus Lestrange, the husband of Bellatrix. "I was hoping to use extreme measures to bring you in."

He raised his wand to strike when suddenly Lupin yelled, "Harry, DUCK!"

Harry pulled Ginny to the ground as a huge burst of sun-like fire appeared above the Death Eaters and a sweet, uplifting song filled Harry with energy and hope as the Death Eaters scattered.

"Fawks!" breathed Harry as the flames began to fade.

"Huh? Dumbledore's phoenix?" asked Ginny, but before Harry could explain he felt himself being yanked up on his feet. Lupin threw Harry and Ginny in front of him and told them to run, then bent over quickly to pick up the flightless, featherless Fawks off the snow. He sent a few stunning spells at the Death Eaters before taking off after Harry and Ginny. Spells shot all around them as they ran; the village seemed entirely deserted however, so they did not have to worry about any innocent bystanders.

Harry was running flat out now, holding Ginny's hand and occasionally ducking or dodging a spell. He pulled Ginny along when he could see the entrance to the village and his heart lightened at the thought that they were almost safe.

Suddenly, white-hot blinding pain struck his scar, causing him to stop dead in his tracks and fall to the ground as if he had run into a brick wall. He clutched his scar and yelled in pain; Ginny rushed to his side and held his head in her lap while Lupin stood in front of them, blocking them from the oncoming Death Eaters.

"Ginny," Harry began in a hoarse whisper, "keep running… you need to get away from here…"

"No, Harry, I can't leave you here like this," she answered.

"No, you don't understand…" he replied, then cut himself short with a yell as another surge of pain pulsed through his scar. He fought to stay conscious and steady his spinning vision; he rolled over and retched just as one final burst of pain hit his scar. He rolled back over on Ginny's lap and looked up, and his heart contracted with fear when he saw Lord Voldemort hovering over him, wand in hand and his red pupils narrow and furious.

"Harry, go! Run!" yelled Lupin, trying to force Harry to his feet.

"Don't be ridiculous, werewolf," snarled Voldemort, his eyes and wand still on Harry. "You can't possibly protect him from all of us. Potter, come with us and I will spare their lives."

"Then let them go first," he croaked defiantly while struggling to stand. He leaned heavily on Ginny's arm as she helped him to rise. If he was going to die, Harry knew he had to be face to face with his enemy no matter how bad the pain.

Lord Voldemort looked at his Death Eaters and said, "Release them. They are not to be touched."

The Death Eaters bowed and disapparated with several loud CRACKS. Harry, hunched over and weak, turned to Ginny and nodded for her to go. Lupin grabbed her and shoved her behind him, his wand never leaving Lord Voldemort.

As a cruel smile spread across his gaunt face, Voldemort turned to Harry and reached out a long, white finger towards Harry's forehead. It was pain like Harry had never felt before. He dropped back down on his knees, unable to resist his body shutting down.

Voldemort looked at Lupin and said, "Try anything, werewolf, and you will watch Potter and the girl die in front of you." As the finger came closer and closer, Harry lost consciousness before it even made contact with his scar, which began to bleed freely. Voldemort picked up a small branch, touched it with his wand and said, "_Portus_."

Lupin then watched helplessly as Lord Voldemort scooped up Harry's lifeless-looking body and used the portkey to disappear in a rush of cold wind.

Back at Hogwarts, a few hours after the events at Hogsmede, Lupin was sitting in Dumbledore's office, his helpless face in his hands. Minerva McGonagall put a reassuring hand on his shoulder, but could find no words of comfort him.

Dumbledore looked at Professor McGonagall and said, "Minerva, please notify the families of the dead and the missing."

She nodded and quietly left the room. Dumbledore walked over to the fireplace and, after throwing a handful of flu-powder into it, stuck his head in and said, "Severus! You are need in my office, please." Once a distant-sounding Snape responded, Dumbledore pulled his head out of the fireplace and walked over to Lupin.

"Remus, do not blame yourself," he said softly. "I should have been there to help, and I know you had no other choice."

Lupin shook his head, unable to meet Dumbledore's eyes. "I should have helped him… I don't know why I didn't. I'm so sorry, Albus…"

"Hope for Harry's safety is not yet lost, Remus," Dumbledore reassured him. "We must stay optimistic."

Lupin opened his mouth to respond but was interrupted by a knock on the door.

"Come in, Severus," Dumbledore called out. Snape opened the door and strolled towards Lupin and Dumbledore. "I take it you heard of the attack?"

Snape nodded. "Yes, sir."

"Did you also hear about Harry?"

Snape's eyes widened as he looked from Dumbledore to Lupin and back to Dumbledore, shaking his head.

"Harry has been taken by Lord Voldemort," Dumbledore explained.

Snape attempted to hide his flinch at the sound of his former master's name, and his gaze turned sharply to Lupin. "How did this happen?" he asked.

Lupin did not look up, nor did he respond.

"Harry agreed to go with Voldemort in exchange for the lives of Remus and Miss Ginny Weasley," Dumbledore answered for Lupin.

Snape rolled his eyes. "So the boy's heroics will finally be his end. What do you want with me, headmaster?"

"I want you to go after Harry," Dumbledore answered, his piercing eyes never leaving Snape. Both Snape and Lupin opened their mouths to join in the conversation, but Dumbledore silenced them by raising his hand. "Harry is too precious to lose to Voldemort, Severus, and no one can help him now but you."

Snape was beside himself, obviously unable to believe what he was hearing. "Headmaster," he began, trying to remain calm, "that may not be the wisest thing to do. If I'm caught, my cover will be blown."

"Harry's more important that you and your ridiculous mission, Snape, and you know it," Lupin insisted angrily. "You're so jealous that you probably have no problem letting him die…"

"Well, if you had been on your guard and protecting him like you're supposed to, we wouldn't be in this position, would we?" Snape retorted nastily.

Lupin stood up and squared himself with Snape, but Dumbledore interrupted in an attempt to diffuse the situation. "Enough," he said. "Remus is right, Severus. According to Harry's dream, your cover may already be blown, but you might be able to find out where Volde-…"

"But sir!" Snape interrupted before Dumbledore could finish the name. "This situation seems oddly suspicious. I knew nothing about the attack beforehand, and it was something the Dark Lord normally would not keep from me. It seems like a trap not just for Potter but for me as well, and if so, he probably knows you would send me for the boy."

His voice was becoming increasingly high-pitched and desperate; Lupin noticed how dramatically Snape's attitude changed in just a few minutes, but he knew Harry had to be rescued and Snape was the only one to do it. Apparently Dumbledore shared his sentiments.

"I understand that, Severus, but Harry is vital to Voldemort's downfall," Dumbledore responded apologetically. "He is simply too important to sacrifice. You are his only hope."

Snape ran a hand through his greasy black hair and sighed, knowing that he had no choice. He held his pointed nose high and said, "Very well. I will make an attempt, but most likely he is dead already." He looked at Dumbledore, wanting to be angry with him, but the Headmaster's old eyes were filled with so much concern and almost hopelessness that Snape could not bring himself to feel anything but compassion. Snape always knew it was foolish from the start, but Dumbledore insisted on giving Potter the burden of saving the world, all because of that damn prophesy. Snape felt no pity for Potter when he heard the prophesy, knowing that either Harry or Voldemort must die, but now, looking at Dumbledore, all Snape could do was pity the Headmaster and his feelings towards the boy on whom all hope for the future rested.

Harry opened his eyes to find himself laying on a cold stone floor in a room with very little light and his hands tied behind his back and attached to a chain coming off the wall. Sitting up, he closed his eyes and tried to focus on Dumbledore or Lupin so he could apparate, but his attempts only exhausted him. He could not tell, however, if weakness or an anti-disapparation jinx was preventing him from apparating. It took him a few moments reflection to remember what happened and why his head hurt do badly; the last thing he could recall was the long, white finger reaching for his forehead as his scar seemed to explode in pain. He wished he could see his scar; the pain was so intense back at Hogsmede he was sure it had actually split open.

Harry looked around desperately for something that might aid his escape or at least attempt to notify someone of his whereabouts. He heard screaming in the distance; from the cold, empty feeling that penetrated his heart and mind, he guessed that he might be inside Azkaban. Harry took a moment to marvel at the brilliance of Voldemort's decision to use Azkaban as a hideout because it always was and apparently remained an impenetrable and virtually inescapable fortress.

After what seemed like hours, Harry was exhausted and frustrated from trying and failing to free himself, not to mention the fact that he was starving. He began to wonder if he would be left there to starve to death when he heard approaching footsteps. The dull ache in his scar sharpened dramatically, and he winced as he realized Lord Voldemort was coming.

He entered the room tall and menacing, and his very presence gave the room an odd chill. Behind him trotted two masked death eaters, hunched over and humbled in the presence of their master, and Bellatrix Lestrange.

"It grieves me to have to keep you alive, Potter," said Voldemort, "especially since I now have such a wonderful opportunity to kill you." Harry ignored the pain in his head and said nothing. "Alas, I cannot kill you – yet. You have information I need, and you're going to give it to me."

"Oh, yeah? And why would I do that?" Harry asked flatly, knowing he would never voluntarily give information to Voldemort.

"Because I can make you a deal," Voldemort explained with an evil smile on his face. "I can give you something you've been longing for – Sirius Black."

Harry's stomach jumped, but he forced his head to remain realistic. "Ha! Nice try, Voldemort," Harry scoffed. He knew speaking Voldemort's name would infuriate him, but Harry was passed the point of caring. To Harry's surprise, however, Voldemort simply smiled at Harry's sarcasm. He leaned over and whispered something to one of his death eaters who then bowed and left the room.

Voldemort turned back to Harry and spoke again. "I know what you saw in occlumency, Potter. Do not forget I can see what you see, just as you can see what I see. An informant told me your occlumency schedule so I could be sure to get my point across; I allowed you to see Black alive because he _is_ alive."

Harry looked up at the noise of Voldemort's death eater reentering the room. The death eater handed Voldemort an object that Harry could not see; he squinted to make it out, but Voldemort pocketed it quickly.

"Now," Voldemort began again, "you will provide me with two pieced of information in exchange for your precious godfather. One: the contents of the prophecy. I know that muggle-loving old fool you call Headmaster told it to you, and I want its full contents. Two: the name of the spy working for Dumbledore and posing as a death eater. Give these two things to me and you and Black may live, for now. Refuse and you will watch your godfather die slowly before you join him."

Harry looked at Voldemort with his mouth hanging slightly open; he was confused by the second request because he was certain Voldemort already knew who the traitor was. "How do I know you're not lying about Sirius? I want to see him alive first," Harry demanded defiantly.

"I am not a fool, Potter," replied Voldemort, and Harry resisted the urge to disagree. "You will not see Black until I get what I want." He pulled the object given to him a few moments earlier out of his robe, and Harry's heart plummeted when he saw what it was. "This should be all the proof you need," Voldemort said as he tossed the object in Harry's direction.

Harry watched helplessly as Sirius' mirror, identical to the one Harry was given, hit the floor at his feet and shattered.

"I will return soon and I will be expecting an answer," said Voldemort, then he swept from the room leaving Harry alone once again.

Harry pondered his dilemma; giving up the prophecy would mean Sirius died in vain, but what if he really was not dead? Harry was not inclined to believe anything coming out of Voldemort's mouth, but if he _was_ telling the truth, Harry knew he had to save Sirius no matter what the cost. Sirius meant more to him than the stupid prophesy, but revealing it meant betraying all those in the Order who were trying to protect it last year.

_And what about Snape,_ Harry thought. _Betraying him would also be betraying the Order._

Harry was so immersed in his thoughts that he lost track of time and had no idea how long it had been since Voldemort left the room. As if this thought drifted out of his cell and down the hallway outside, Harry could hear the approaching footsteps once again.

Voldemort entered a few moments later with Bellatrix Lestrange, and narrowing his red eyes said, "Have you made a decision, Potter?"

Harry had no idea what to do or say, so he remained silent.

"I grow tired of waiting for you," Voldemort said, impatience unfolding on his face. He turned to Bellatrix and said, "Send for me when he is ready to talk, Bella."

"Yes, my Lord," she replied, a cruel smile spreading across her sunken, somewhat beautiful face.

Voldemort exited the room once more, leaving Harry with his godfather's murderer. Harry attempted to center himself; he needed to rid himself of fear and focus his remaining energy on repelling what Bellatrix had in store for him. However, her first Cruciatus Curse hit him and the hatred behind it set every nerve on fire. Harry vaguely registered, as shock began to set in, that all hope of escape had vanished.

Snape could hear Harry's screams intensify from somewhere down the hallway. Though this brought comfort in knowing Harry had not yet revealed the prophecy, he knew the boy would not last long against whatever torture he was enduring.

His mind turned back to his own problems, however, when the Dark Lord entered the room holding out his wand. Snape cursed under his breath and silently swore to never forgive Dumbledore for forcing him into this position, but he stood up and faced his former master with all the courage he could muster.

"The boy is loyal to you, Severus," Voldemort said. "I thought with your hatred of his father, Potter would be more than willing to expose you. No matter," he continued, "My plans for the boy are just beginning."

Snape said nothing to this; under normal circumstances he could care less what happened to Potter, but he knew much depended on him, and he was slightly flattered that Potter had remained silent.

With a sudden flick of his wrist, Voldemort sent Snape flying across the room until he slammed into the stone wall. Then Voldemort pocketed his wand and held out his arm, and as he spread his long white fingers out as far as he could, Snape's body seemed to mimic this action. He was floating off the ground, his arms and legs spread wide and attempting to stretch to the breaking point. Snape gritted his teeth against the pain and willed himself not to cry out; he did not want Harry to know he was here.

"You will soon learn the fate of traitors, Severus. I cannot tell you how pleased I was when my Death Eaters caught you snooping around for Potter," Voldemort laughed. "In fact, I don't even know how you traced me here! But that is not important anyway; more important is the example you are about to set. To simply kill you would teach nothing. No, I think you will watch the boy you have spent six years both hating and protecting die before you so that you will see your efforts were for nothing."

Snape stared at Voldemort defiantly and through his pain grunted, "If you kill him, it will be your end."

Voldemort suddenly clenched his outstretched hand into a fist, causing Snape's body to curl up into a ball in midair; every muscle in his body tightened and Snape was sure the pressure would crush his organs. When Voldemort finally relaxed his hand and lowered his arm, Snape fell to the ground, his legs too exhausted to support him.

Voldemort turned to a masked Death Eater near the door and commanded, "Bring him."

As Snape allowed himself to be dragged from the room, he noticed that Harry's screams had stopped. A stab of fear and panic stuck the Potions master, and he then did something he had never done, nor thought he would _ever_ do. Severus Snape hoped, even prayed, that Harry Potter was alright.

Harry had no idea how long he had been unconscious. He remembered Bellatrix's frustration at how long he stayed awake (and sane) after sustaining hours of her Cruciatus Curse.

"The Longbottoms cracked much sooner than this, Potter; I am impressed," she said disbelievingly. "But I am a patient woman, and I will truly enjoy breaking you."

Harry held out for what seemed like an eternity, listening to more taunts about Neville's parents and Sirius as she tortured him, before allowing his body to go into shock. He hoped that by losing consciousness after going into shock he might be able to keep his sanity. When he awoke, however, it did not take him long to realize that Bellatrix had revived him almost immediately so she could continue her interrogation. He continuously refused to reveal the prophecy or the spy, so she continuously tortured him. Harry thought to himself that if the situation was not so serious, it might be amusing. He knew the definition of insanity was repeating the same action expecting different results and if this was true, Bellatrix was truly the most insane person in the world.

However, despite his efforts to distract himself, Harry's attention was focused primarily on the excruciating pain; he had no energy left to even scream. Surprisingly, Harry was almost relieved to see Lord Voldemort re-enter the room because it caused Bellatrix to stop her spell casting.

"Still alive, Potter?" asked Voldemort disbelievingly yet impressed against his will. "I don't believe anyone has ever lasted this long under Bella's supervision."

Harry was on his knees with his arms chained high above him and he could barely lift his head, which prevented him from seeing who had entered with Voldemort. Footsteps approached, and Harry watched the hem of Voldemort's cloak whip by, followed by the hem of a Death Eater's robe. He heard the sound of something being scraped across the floor, and his heart leapt with fear and guilt when he saw who the Death Eater was dragging behind him.

The servant threw Severus Snape from him then bowed to Voldemort and asked, "What else do you wish of me, master?" Snape did not move, and Harry recognized the drawling, pretentious voice at once.

Voldemort responded, "That will be all, Lucius. You may go."

Lucius Malfoy left the room after a glance in Harry's direction, so Harry turned his attention back to Snape. He seemed almost as weak as Harry and there was blood oozing from the side of his head, but he seemed lucid and, thankfully, alive.

"Professor," Harry whispered, desperately trying to explain. "I swear… I never told them…"

"Shut your mouth, Potter," Snape replied quietly as another Death Eater hauled him to his feet and held him still.

"Now, Severus," Voldemort began ominously. "Since Potter has been so uncooperative, we shall try a different method of persuasion. I know you both are well trained in resisting the Imperious Curse, so since I cannot force either of you to tell me what I want, here is my new offer." Voldemort's red pupils were suddenly alight with excitement. "Unless you reveal the prophecy to me, Severus, you will watch the famous Harry Potter, Dumbledore's savior, die at my feet. Tell me the prophecy or the boy who lived will live no more. Make your choice."

Harry looked at Snape with desperation on his face, but Snape's attention was focused only on his former master, and he did not respond.

"Very well," Voldemort sighed. "_Crucio_!"

Harry's already weakened body erupted in agony and the hatred behind the curse was ten times as intense as that of Bellatrix. He cried out as his scar split open and dripped blood, but he willed Snape not to give Voldemort what he wanted. Snape did not speak, nor did he turn his attention away from Voldemort.

Voldemort suddenly lifted the spell and waited for Snape to react in some way. When he did not, Voldemort pointed his wand at Harry again and said, "_Incendio_!"

Harry screamed again, his eyes filling with t ears from the pain; every inch of him felt as if he was burning alive, but there were no trace of flames. Voldemort turned to Snape once more, but this time without lifting the spell. As Harry wavered toward unconsciousness, his scar oozed more blood; he tried to look up at Snape but was unable to see through his torture. Voldemort's fury at Snape's silence intensified the spell, and as Harry's screams grew louder, Snape finally began to struggle against his captor after glancing at Harry writhing in pain with pity in his cold, dark eyes.

Voldemort then hit Harry again with the Cruciatus Curse and Harry knew the end was coming soon. He knew he could not resist both the burning spell and the Cruciatus Curse at the same time, but he hoped beyond hope that Snape would remain quiet. Voldemort moved closer to Harry and reached a finger out, moving closer and closer as Harry realized miserably that Voldemort was going to touch his scar again.

Snape was now fighting against the Death Eater holding with all his might, and just as Voldemort's finger came within an inch of Harry's scar and Harry's eyes rolled in the back of his head, Snape yelled, "No! You'll kill him!"

Voldemort touched his long, skeletal finger to Harry's scar with an evil grin and watched as blood from the scar rolled down Harry's face and dripped onto the stone floor. Finally Snape broke free and made a dash for Voldemort, who removed his finger from Harry's forehead and seized Snape by the neck.

"I grow tired of this, Severus," he said while releasing Harry from the spells.

Harry's body hung limply as if he were made of Jell-O; he would not have been able to hold himself up at all if his arms were not chained to the wall. Snape blinked hard and struggled to breathe as Voldemort lifted him off the ground. Snape glanced at Harry's weak form, when Voldemort suddenly threw him across the room. Snape hit the floor hard and wiped blood from the corner of his mouth; he looked back at Voldemort and saw him reach his finger to Harry's scar once more.

"Alright!" Snape gasped. "I'll tell you! Just stop…"

"I knew you would do anything to save Dumbledore's lap dog," Voldemort snickered nastily. "You are weak, Severus, just as I always knew you were." He stepped away from Harry and strolled over to Snape. "And don't even think about making something up. I know what the prophecy pertains to, and I need to know exactly what it said."

Even though he knew Snape had just saved his life, Harry could not help feeling a sense of betrayal as he listened to Snape relay the prophecy. Despite his weakened state and his throbbing body, Harry tried to clear his head and push the pain aside.

_I have to get out of here,_ he thought. _Voldemort will kill us both anyway._

He cast his mind around, looking for anything that might help, then it hit him. He knew it would be dangerous and that he should heed Hermione's warning, but he was out of options. He was weak and could not move, plus he was chained to the wall, so Harry tried to think of a way to draw Voldemort to him, but there was no need.

"Thank you, Severus," said Voldemort after Snape finished reciting and explaining the prophecy. "You have redeemed yourself and therefore I shall be merciful and perhaps spare your life. Unfortunately for Mr. Potter, however," he turned to Harry, "as I suspected he is too much of a threat to me to be kept alive. His time on this Earth is over, I'm afraid."

Voldemort swept over to Harry so quickly that Harry did not have time to speak the incantation. Voldemort grabbed Harry's chin with one hand and pressed his fingers to the scar with his other hand; Harry could feel his own life force draining out of him. He was in excruciating agony, blinded and dying because of Voldemort once more, but he had to try, even if it was the last thing he ever did.

His eyes closed, he opened his mouth and croaked, "_Evalesco Delego!_"

Suddenly, his head was clear and the pain was gone. His body seemed to be healing itself, and he could feel true power rushing through him; he felt alive, more alive than ever before. He heard screaming and thought it was in his own head until he opened his eyes and saw the screams were coming from Voldemort. Harry smiled; it gave him immense satisfaction knowing Voldemort was suffering at his hands.

He wanted more power so he could cause Voldemort as much pain as possible, but a nagging voice in his head told him to get out. He yelled, "_Imperimenta!_"

A red light, as bright as fire, burst from within Harry and the room rumbled; everyone in the room, including Voldemort, was thrown from him and nothing was left around Harry except a smoking crater. His chains broken, Harry looked down at his charred hands with apprehension but was relieved to see his body was not burned as it was after the Patronus. He tried to rise but was weakened again from this display of power, so he crawled out of the crater and across the room to where Snape lay unconscious.

"Professor?" Harry whispered while shaking Snape, but Snape simply moaned and did not open his eyes.

_I need more energy_, Harry thought desperately, so he slowly crawled over to where Voldemort was knocked out against a stone wall. Harry grabbed Voldemort's hand, said the incantation again and pressed Voldemort's hand to his scar. The power transferred immediately, and Harry was so immersed in it that he did not notice Voldemort opening his eyes and reaching his free hand for his wand. To Harry's surprise Voldemort ripped his hand from Harry's forehead and raised his wand, preparing to strike.

"_AVADA…!_"

Harry dove out of the way, grabbed onto Snape and rolled them both into the crater. He pointed his fingers at a small stone and yelled, "_Accio!_"

Once the stone flew to his hand, Harry looked up and saw Voldemort's angry form approaching. He focused hard on Grimmauld Place and as quickly as he could he tapped the stone, mumbled, "_Portus,_" and placed Snape's hand on part of the stone. Suddenly, the familiar tug behind his navel sent him and Snape whirling through color and sound. He and the still unconscious potion's master hit the ground hard at Dumbledore's feet in Grimmauld place, leaving behind the aggravated yells of Lord Voldemort.

A/N: Please review! Hopefully I will have the next chapter up soon! xoxo


	13. Return to Grimmauld Place

A/N: Well, after months of writer's block and a life without internet, I finally have a chapter up. Thanks for all the encouragement and reviews… and demands to get this chapter finished! I can't guarantee a next chapter very soon… and I hope you all haven't lost interest yet. I certainly haven't, and I will finish this story no matter what! I apologize for the length… it is not as long as I hoped. I hope you enjoy it anyway… it might put your mind at ease about some things. Don't forget to review! Feel free to post criticisms and hateful messages about how long this took me… xoxo

**Chapter Thirteen: Return to Number Twelve**

Dumbledore looked down at the newly appeared Harry with a mixture of surprise and relief on his face. Harry, too weak to stand, simply rolled over and looked up at the headmaster, relieved that he was finally safe. He opened his hand an allowed the portkey to fall to the ground with a clunk.

"Dumbledore, what…?" Lupin said as he poked his head around a doorway to see what the commotion was. "Oh my god…" he said finally after looking from Harry to Dumbledore now crouched over Snape and back to Harry. His brain seemed to register what had just happened, and he rushed passed Dumbledore to Harry's side immediately. "Harry! What happened? Are you alright? Where have you been? How did you escape?"

Harry not immediately answer, so Lupin helped Harry to his feet and they followed Dumbledore up the stairs after watching him magic Snape onto a stretcher.

"Are you hurt?" Lupin asked after seeing Harry wince and clutch his ribs.

"Nothing I can't live with," Harry replied weakly.

Once in the spare bedroom, Dumbledore magiked Snape onto a bed, then turned to Lupin and said, "Remus, I need you to send for Matilda Westing at St. Mungo's."

Lupin nodded and left the room.

Harry sat in a wooded chair in the corner and turned to Dumbledore. Nodding in Snape's direction he asked, "Will he be alright?"

"Yes, I believe so," answered Dumbledore. "He has some internal injuries and his muscles seem to be torn in quite a few places. I do not have the ability to heal these, which is why I asked Professor Lupin to call on Madam Westing."

"Who is she?" Harry asked.

"Madam Westing is a healer at St. Mungo's and she is also in the Order. We can trust her to avoid asking questions or drawing unnecessary attention to certain patients," replied Dumbledore.

Neither Harry nor Dumbledore spoke again until Lupin returned.

Once Lupin took a seat at Snape's bedside Dumbledore said, "Alright, Harry, I need to know exactly what went on during your captivity. You have been gone for a little over two days, so anything you can remember can help the Order."

Harry launched into his experience in as much detail as he could remember; Lupin's head popped up and his eyes widened as Harry explained Voldemort's offer about Sirius. Harry explained the hours of torture by Bellatrix, Voldemort's frustration with his strength, which lead to Harry's torture in front of Snape, and finally Snape's revelation of the prophecy. Harry thought he noticed Dumbledore's face fall slightly when he mentioned Snape's betrayal, but the defeated look vanished as quickly as it had come. Anxious to change the subject, Harry described the intense agony he felt when Voldemort touched his scar.

"He touched my forehead twice," Harry said, "once when he took me from Hogsmede and again after Snape told him the prophecy." He put a hand up to his scar and wiped some of the caked blood off his forehead. "I think he caused my scar to open and bleed. First he was torturing me under the Cruciatus Curse and the Burning Spell, which is I guess why Snape felt he had to tell the prophecy."

Dumbledore looked over at Lupin and smiled slightly, and Harry's curiosity caused him to ask, "What is it?"

Dumbledore glanced back at Harry and answered, "Remus thought that if it came down to you or the prophecy…"

"Snape would have sacrificed you to protect the contents of the prophecy," Lupin finished, looking at his feet.

Harry shrugged. "I was a little surprised myself, but the prophecy isn't really worth protecting if I'm dead, right?"

Lupin nodded. "But I'm assuming that once Voldemort heard the entire contents, he tried to kill you anyway, right?" Harry nodded in response. "So then how were you able to create a portkey to escape?" Lupin inquired. "Well, even more importantly, how did you gain enough magic back in order to even create a portkey?"

Harry hesitated; he was reluctant to talk about the power transfer spell in front of Dumbledore since the headmaster made it perfectly clear not to resort to any spells to cure his ailing magic.

"Er…" Harry began.

"It was an energy transfer spell."

Harry and Lupin jumped at the sound of Snape's voice. "I could do nothing to help Potter by then, Headmaster," Snape went on weakly, attempting to sit up in his bed. "But he apparently has learned the spell on his own."

Harry quickly turned back to Dumbledore. "It was all I could think of to do, sir! I was really out of it and the pain in my head was so bad, I couldn't think of anything else to do and all I needed was enough energy to…"

Dumbledore lifted a hand and interrupted, "There is no need for explanations, Harry. Exactly what spell did you use?

"_Evalesco Delego_ just as Voldemort touched my scar, then _Imperimenta_ once I had enough magic. It blew a crater in the ground and shot everyone away from me."

"I see," said Dumbledore. "Well, I will not patronize you by telling you how risky that was because it seemed to prove effective, but I am disappointed that you did not consult me about this, Harry. We shall talk more about this spell later."

Harry nodded apologetically, and then something suddenly occurred to him. He looked at Dumbledore, panic on his face, and began a desperate explanation of his thoughts. "I left in such a panic… I wasn't thinking, I mean… what if he really has Sirius? I just left him there…"

"Don't be stupid, Potter!" grunted Snape in a surprisingly strong voice for such a weakened man. "Black is dead!"

Lupin stood up and swiftly advanced on Snape. "You must have some nerve calling him stupid after he saved your life!"

"He nearly killed me by that stunt he pulled!" retorted Snape.

"That's enough!" Dumbledore interrupted as he did so many times between Snape and Lupin. "Both of you get a hold on yourselves. Please sit down, Remus; Severus, please try to rest. What is done cannot be undone, so we need to move on and focus on more pressing matters." He turned back to Harry. "I'm sorry, Harry, but I'm afraid Voldemort was lying to you. There is no way Sirius could have survived his fall through the veil. I believe Voldemort was simply praying on your ignorance about the Death Chamber."

Harry, desperate to prove Dumbledore wrong, plunged on. "Last summer I heard voices behind that veil, so I _know_ there is something alive in there! Plus, what about the mirror? It can't be my dad's, and Sirius had the only other one!"

"Am I correct in assuming," Dumbledore asked, turning to Lupin, "that James and Sirius were not the only ones to have a two-way mirror?"

"All the Mauraders had one of those mirrors, Harry," Lupin responded sadly. "I didn't even know Sirius had given James' mirror to you last year or else I would have reminded you to use it, and I would have told you I had one. My guess is Voldemort had Wormtail's. It was no use after he faked his death, and Sirius and I put a blocking charm on ours against it two years ago anyway. Voldemort must have heard what the mirrors do from Wormtail and decided to trick you. I'm sorry, Harry. As much as I want Sirius to be alive, it just isn't possible."

Harry slumped down in his chair and let a wave of depression and exhaustion rush over him. Snape began to groan in pain, and his suffering did nothing but annoy Harry. He wanted to leave the room and be alone; he always knew deep down that Sirius did not survive that fall, but part of him was still clinging to the hope that he would find Sirius and maybe someday laugh about his greatest joke that was faking his own death.

A few moments later, there was a knock on the door, so Lupin strolled over to open it and reveal Madam Westing, looking pale. She was a short woman, about the height of Madam Sprout, with short, tightly curled white hair. Her age was hard to determine by her face, but a slight stiffness in her walk told Harry she was probably in her late 70's. Without a word, Madam Westing headed over to the bed where Snape lay. She hovered over him for a few minutes, whispering spells and mixing potions.

After fifteen minutes of this she straightened up and stretched, then turned to Dumbledore and said in a deep, slightly raspy voice, "He's going to be fine. It's a good thing school is out, because he will need to rest for a good couple of days."

"Thank you, Matilda. Will you have a look at Harry as well?" Dumbledore asked.

Madam Westing's wide eyes floated over to Harry and rested on him for a bit as if just noticing him for the first time. Her dreamy gaze reminded Harry of Luna Lovegood.

Harry rolled his eyes rather obviously and made to stand up to leave the room. "I'm fine, really," he insisted.

"Please, Harry," Lupin said, "just let her check you."

Groaning irritably, Harry slumped back down into his chair and allowed Madam Westing to wave her wand around his head. Harry observed her enter a trance-like state as her eyes rolled into the back of her head; then suddenly, a warm, comfortable feeling filled Harry's insides. He related the feeling to the calm glow that was the Imperious Curse, but there was no voice in his head asking him to perform ridiculous (and usually dangerous) feats. The warmth seemed to spread from his previously aching head all the way down to his toes; He was so enthralled that Madam Westing's conversation with Dumbledore seemed miles away.

"From what I can see, Albus," she began, the whites of her eyes showing as her eyelids fluttered frantically, "Mr. Potter has sustained tremendous amounts of pain. His muscles have some minor damage due to what was probably hours worth of the Cruciatus Curse, and his scar may be sore for a few days while it re-heals. My suggestion is that he receives plenty of rest and relaxation, especially over the next few days." She lifted her wand and opened her eyes, allowing Harry's euphoria to dissipate slowly. "I would also suggest performing the Relaxation Spell on him for the next couple of nights to ensure he sleeps well."

Harry allowed his body to relax as he tried to hang onto every bit of warmth slowly seeping out of his body. His pain did not return, and all he felt like doing was head up the stairs and into bed.

"Thank you, Matilda," Dumbledore said again. "Remus, will you please assist Harry up the stairs and into bed? Try to avoid any prying eyes- I would rather The Weasleys and Miss Granger visit him tomorrow."

Lupin nodded and helped Harry to his feet, then gently guided him out the door and up the stairs. Harry stumbled along drunkenly, occasionally giggling and smiling at nothing as they passed more guest bedrooms. Finally, they reached the top stair and entered into Sirius' former bedroom. Harry looked around, vaguely realizing he had never seen this room before, but he was unable to absorb his surroundings due to his extreme desire to sleep. Lupin left the room and closed the door behind him; without undressing Harry crawled into bed and immediately fell into a dreamless sleep.

XxxxxxXxxxxxX

Harry woke the next morning to the smell of sausage with a slight pain in his back. He winced at the pain, but was thankful he was not as sore as he expected. He checked his watch, which read 10:13, so he dressed and headed down the stairs.

As was to be expected, the crowd of people made a big commotion as soon as Harry entered the room. Mrs. Weasley and Hermione both squeezed him in rib-splitting hugs, Mr. Weasley shook his hand vigorously and Ron, unable to contain himself, patted Harry on the back several times without realizing how hard he was doing it.

"Oh, Harry, I was so worried!" Hermione said, tears running down her cheeks. "I wouldn't know what to do if you… if you…" She trailed off, sniffling and wiping her eyes.

Harry glanced around the room and suddenly noticed that the one person he was longing to see was missing from the group. He stopped and looked around, then spotted her sitting by herself across the room. She seemed lost in her thoughts while gazing out a nearby window.

"Ginny?" Harry asked as he approached her carefully.

"It's strange, isn't it?" she began in a far-off voice. "It's strange how we take the most important things in life for granted."

Harry looked at her, perplexed as to why she was saying this. He opened his mouth to respond, but she looked up and smiled at him.

"I'm glad you're alright, Harry," she said, rising out of her chair and embracing him. She released him and walked toward the rest of the crowd, and then stopped and turned around. "By the way, thanks for saving my life," she added.

He smiled and offered her a hand, which she took and followed him to the rest of the party.

For a few shining hours, Harry forgot all about his horrible experience in the captivity of Voldemort. Just like on his birthday, his company seemed to absorb all his problems and worries. No one inquired about his experience and he was not exactly anxious to elaborate, so eventually his thoughts about Voldemort, Sirius and Snape vanished.

XxxxxxXxxxxxX

Christmas approached rapidly, and to the delight of Harry and most staying with him, Snape left Headquarters as soon as he was well enough to walk out the door. Harry enjoyed every moment he spent with the Weasley's, whom he considered his real family now that Sirius was gone. He also relished the fact that his magic was now back in full force. The effects of absorbing Voldemort's energy did not seem to wear off, and Harry was eager to keep it that way. He asked Dumbledore for private lessons over break to help him gain control over his seemingly "uncontrollable" power, but Dumbledore warned him of the consequences of keeping Voldemort's magic.

"You must not get greedy for power, Harry. You have your own magic that you have not tapped into yet, and there is no need to rush to release it," Dumbledore cautioned during their lesson on Christmas Eve.

"Yes, sir," answered Harry obediently, but secretly he was already wishing for more. He avoided Dumbledore's eyes every time this subject came up; if there was any Occlumens who rivaled Voldemort and Snape, it was Dumbledore. It began from a desire to be as powerful as possible when he finally had to face Voldemort, but now he enjoyed magic obeying his thoughts rather than a wave of his wand. He kept this opinion to himself, however; he did not think Hermione or even Ron would approve.

Christmas at Number Twelve was surprisingly the best in Harry's memory. He received mountains of gifts from the Weasleys and Hermione, but best of all Harry learned that Kreacher, upon hearing of Harry's return to Grimmauld Place, attempted to leave the house in search of other Black family members. Dumbledore informed Harry that Kreacher was sent to Azkaban for his betrayal against the charms of his kind, and would remain there (to Hermione's horror) for at least six months.

Ron, Hermione, Ginny and Harry spent little time without each other in the following weeks. Dumbledore was now informing Harry of the Order's attempts to track certain Death Eaters to where Voldemort may be hiding, and Harry promptly shared this information with his friends. Hermione, however, kept up a relentless spray of nags at Harry to discuss his power transfer experience with Dumbledore.

"I told you," Harry insisted, "we already discussed it."

"You didn't discuss it with him, Harry; you simply told him you did it!" Hermione protested, watching Harry wordlessly levitate objects without his wand. "This isn't normal, and… WATCH IT!" she exclaimed as one of the levitating books exploded just over her head.

Harry grinned innocently. "Oops! Sorry, Hermione."

She glared at him. "And you need to learn some control!"

As though Dumbledore had read Hermione's mind from afar, a letter came for Harry just a few days before the start of spring term.

_Harry,_

_We shall continue our lessons each Saturday in the Room of Requirement once classes resume. After our lessons, you are to conduct DA meetings for all who wish to attend. We have much to discuss; your choice to use a power transfer spell may have more dire consequences than you realize. I shall see you in a few days._

_Professor Dumbledore_

"Doesn't sound too happy, does he?" Ron asked, reading the note over Harry's shoulder.

Harry knew Ron was right, but he said nothing. Frustrated, he tossed the note aside and climbed the stairs alone to the master bedroom. How could Dumbledore want him to go back to having no magic at all? Wasn't he now in a better, safer position than he was when he was taken from Hogsmede? Fuming, he threw himself onto the bed and fell into a restless sleep, plagued by dreams of being at the mercy of Lord Voldemort, powerless to defend himself.

XxxxxxXxxxxxX

"_It seems the boy has become an even larger problem, my Lord. His powers have returned in full."_

_Harry turned with rage to the short, balding, watery-eyed man and said, "I am aware of the situation, Wormtail, and I can assure you: everything is going to plan."_

"_I… I don't understand, my Lord," Wormtail said shakily._

_An evil grin spread across Harry's face, and he said, "Potter's magic will not save him, Wormtail. He shall no longer know what I am planning. He will no longer have access to my thoughts and feelings, and he will soon wish that he died in my custody."_

_He put a long-fingered hand in his pocket, withdrew his wand and waved it in a sudden jerking motion, and a blinding pain seemed to rip through his mind, tearing his brain in two…_

Jerking awake, Harry instinctively put a hand to his forehead and rubbed his scar, sweat dripping down his temples. His mind felt oddly clear and empty, as if part of it was missing. He realized with a shock that Lord Voldemort had severed the link between them; his first thought was to inform Dumbledore immediately, but the weight off his mind was so soothing, he decided he would rather get a decent night's sleep. His head hit the pillow, and a slight smile crossed his face. No matter what the consequences, Harry knew he would not miss the intrusion into the dangerous thoughts of Voldemort.


	14. New Year's Eve

A/N: Some of you have expressed concerns about Voldemort's severing of he and Harry's bond…. But it may not be what you think… so please stay with me. I think my writer's block may be unblocking. This is a short chapter that has been sitting in my hard drive for months waiting me to finish, but I finally just decided to post what I had… please review!

**--Chapter Fourteen: New Year's Eve--**

Harry Potter had never felt better in his life. As the New Year approached, he felt renewed, born again without the weight he carried his whole life. It was as if he never had a connection to Lord Voldemort; he suddenly had a life in which he grew up away from the spotlight and away from the pain and horrors that burdened him since he was one year old.

Harry ate his lunch happily in the dining room of Grimmauld Place, unusually cheerful despite his gloomy surroundings. Hermione and Ginny kept glancing up at him skeptically, throwing significant looks at each other every so often. Harry simply smiled at both of them, eating his kidney pie while happily humming a tune. Even Ron was thrown off by his unusual cheerfulness. He raised his eyebrows at Harry so often during lunch that he eventually gave himself a headache.

"I don't know what you're so worried about, Hermione," Harry told her up in the attic after lunch.

Ron and Ginny avoided the conversation by moving over to a corner of the attic and beginning a game of Exploding Snap. Ron looked extremely nervous, as if speaking would somehow set off the invisible bomb that was ticking inside Hermione. Ginny simply looked annoyed if not concerned.

Hermione, struggling to maintain her composure, glared at Harry and said, "I'm worried because you don't seem to care what this might mean, Harry! How do you know Voldemort isn't just playing a trick on you?"

Harry scoffed playfully at this idea, still smiling as if Hermione had just made a witty comment. She glared at him, but he merely said, "I appreciate your concern, Hermione, but I'm really okay. I've never felt better!"

This statement was certainly true, and everyone in Grimmauld Place seemed to immerse themselves in his upbeat mood. Ginny was pleased that they were able to spend sometime alone and was enjoying Harry's company so much she finally stopped sharing Hermione's concern. Ron's mood brightened as if infected by Harry's cheerfulness, so much so that when Percy came to visit a few days after Christmas, he laughed off Percy's idiocy and was able to cheer Mrs. Weasley up once Percy left.

In fact, the only people who seemed to be deeply distressed at Harry's condition were Hermione, Lupin and Dumbledore. Lupin was now visiting Grimmauld Place daily, and Harry had a sneaking suspicion that he was making reports to Dumbledore. Rather than annoying or angering him, however, Harry was amused at Lupin's attempts to spy on him. Lupin always ended up with nothing to report to Dumbledore except the fact that Harry was happier than he had ever seen him.

Harry was even amazed at his own elation and patience. Harry kept expecting to get angry every time Lupin asked him how he was or Hermione probed for more information about his dream, but instead he cleanly reassured them that he was fine. Even Ginny was finally convinced that his happiness was genuine.

"For crying out loud, Hermione!" Ginny yelled at her the day before New Year's Eve.

"What?" cried Hermione, sounding scandalized. "I just want to be sure his dream was real and…!"

"You just can't stand the fact that he's happy!" Ginny interrupted. "It's almost like you expect him to be miserable all the time!"

"That's not it at all!" Hermione protested. "I just…!"

"Oh, give it a rest, Hermione," Ron mumbled to her.

She opened her mouth again, but closed it once more at one look at Ron. She bit her lip and bit back the tears welling in her eyes, then walked out of the room with her head held high.

Ginny made a loud _huff_ as she sat down next to Harry, who had a slightly stupid grin on his face. Ron, looking somewhat indecisive, eventually figured that Hermione's need was greater than Ginny's, so he got up and left the room to find her.

"It's okay, Ginny," said Harry, the grin still laying lazily on his face. "She'll get over it eventually; Hermione always does."

"I don't know how you put up with it," Ginny replied. "It drives _me_ crazy when she does it to _you_! I couldn't imagine how I'd be if she was actually bugging me constantly like that."

Harry shrugged and changed the subject. "I really miss flying. I wish we were at the Burrow so we could play a little Quiddich."

Ginny nodded. "I miss it too. This house sucks," she said as she looked around.

"Now I _really_ know how… er… how…" Harry trailed off. His expression was pained, seemingly trying to reach into the depths of his memory.

Ginny looked at him curiously. "How Sirius felt?" she said, attempting to finish his sentence.

Harry blinked and looked slightly confused, as if he had no idea who she was talking about. However, he answered, "Yeah… Huh! How weird! I completely forgot what I wanted to say!"

Ginny eyed him suspiciously but before she could question him about this odd behavior, Harry asked, "How about a game of exploding snap?"

She shook her head. "I think I should go apologize to Hermione. I want to make sure she's okay."

"Good idea. I'll come with you," said Harry.

"Ginny replied, "No, I think it would be better if I went alone. I'll send Ron back up."

"Suit yourself," Harry said. He jumped to his feet and offered Ginny his had to help her up; once on her feet she kissed him on the cheek and left the bedroom.

The New Year's celebration was better than it ever had been in Harry's memory. Almost the entire Order came over to celebrate; Dumbledore shared a dance with Professor McGonagall and Harry happily kissed Ginny at midnight. The most exciting news, however, was after a few too many mugs of firewhiskey, Ron finally told Hermione how he felt about her (which Harry knew was a long time in coming), and they kissed at midnight as well.

Harry spent the evening talking to different members of the Order and eventually made his way over to a corner where Mr. Weasley and Lupin were talking.

"I know you miss him, Remus, but…"

"He was my last friend, Arthur. This is why I hate New Years. He's just another one to add to the list of those who should be here. I was doing fine until…" he trailed off.

His speech was slightly slurred; Harry had the distinct feeling that Lupin may, like Ron, have dipped a little too much into the bottle of firewhiskey.

"We all care about you, Remus," Mr. Weasley insisted, placing a reassuring hand on Lupin's shoulder. "But it's time to let him go."

"Who?" asked Harry.

Lupin and Mr. Weasley fell silent and looked up at Harry, who drew back, surprised at their faces. Then Lupin's face contorted with hurt and anger.

"That's not funny, Harry. If that's your way of making me feel better…"

"Seriously," Harry insisted, smiling as if waiting for Lupin to let him in on some joke. "Who are you talking about?"

Everyone else in the room was deep in their own conversations, so Mr. Weasley and Lupin were the only ones able to marvel at this question. Mr. Weasley opened his mouth to say something, but Lupin stood up drunkenly and moved to within inches of Harry's face.

"I'm glad you've moved on so quickly, Harry," Lupin slurred. "You remind me of Severus."

Harry had the impression that this last statement was supposed to be more insulting than he took it, even though he knew he would never want to be compared with Snape.

"You should show a little more respect. Sirius loved you like a son," Lupin spat.

Harry's grin slid slightly from his face and fogginess clouded his eyes.

Then, as if nothing had happened, Harry smiled sympathetically and said, "I know, Remus. I'm sorry; I wasn't trying to be disrespectful."

Mr. Weasley stepped over towards Lupin and said cheerfully, "You had me worried there for a second, Harry! Come on, Remus; I think you should get some rest."

Harry stayed rooted to the spot, thinking while he watched Lupin attempt to stumble up the stairs with Mr. Weasley's assistance. Ginny wandered over to him shortly thereafter, her face lit up with a sleepy grin.

"Most everyone's leaving now, so I'm off to bed, Harry," she said dreamily. "What was that with Lupin all about? He looked upset."

Harry shrugged and gently kissed her goodnight. She and Hermione then headed up the stairs; Ron waved to him and drunkenly climbed the stairs as well. Harry helped Mrs. Weasley tidy up and soon went to bed, but he laid awake for a while, happy that he didn't have to lie to Ginny. His shrug answered her question perfectly; He had absolutely no idea who Lupin was talking about.


End file.
